


Lost and Found

by Buzzbeebee



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Elizabethan Era, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Aristocracy, Bad Parenting, Captain Kageyama Tobio, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone is in this, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm bad at writing but I wanted to write this story, KageHina - Freeform, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Kageyama Tobio is a Little Shit, Long, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Pirates, Slow Burn, Swearing, eventually..., ish, it's not super accurate, jk my man tanaka will get stepped on by kiyoko like the little simp he is, mention of vomiting, seasick Hinata, will update the tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:40:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27340633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buzzbeebee/pseuds/Buzzbeebee
Summary: Shouyou, the son of a rich Gentleman, is banished to a life at sea. During a taxing two day storm, the ship is toppled over, leaving Shouyou to float in the great expanse of the ocean. After a struggle to settle himself onto some driftwood, he falls asleep to the lull of the raging ocean. When he wakes up, he's faced by a rugged pirate crew run by a dangerously charming Captain.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 33
Kudos: 72





	1. A storm at Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys, galls and non-binary palls, and welcome to my first kagehina fic! 
> 
> I hope you have a wonderful time here and like what I am writing. Hopefully, this will be a ride of a fic, I have everything planned out, so let's see where this leads us!
> 
> If you want to contact me, I have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/HSpawson) I recently made. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated, have a lovely day <3.
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/m0mVXBB)  
>    
> I drew a cover OwO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Shouyou is stuck on a Royal Navy ship in the middle of a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to pop in and say hi!
> 
> Quick warning: there's mild descriptions of seasickness throughout the fic. Also, Hinata is quite hopeless in this chapter, and he's going through some emotional and physical pain.
> 
> I like to keep my first chapters short so you can get a general feel for my writing style and decide if you want to continue. Hopefully you do.
> 
> Also there's no proofreaders/beta's... 
> 
> Have a lovely day folks!

It was a dark and rough night out at sea. The lightning crackled, illuminating the darkened sky for only a moment, unveiling the chaos of the ocean below. Waves tumbled and crashed, while the heavens roared ominously above the voyaging ships below. On one of such ships was a young ginger-haired man named Shouyou, who was tasked with heaving the mass volumes of water washing over the wooden deck with all the other drenched deck staff onboard. As the grandiose royal ship sliced through the ragged sea, hundreds of buckets worth of water tumbled on deck, again and again. The ship loudly creaked as it rocked violently from side to side, almost matching the heady roar from the twenty-first thunder strike that evening. A cacophony of fatigued grunts and moans leaked off the ship as the crewmates slaved away with bucket in hand; they were all tired, and knew this was nowhere near over. 

Shouyou wasn’t exactly used to being on a ship for so long, especially not in the midst of a two day storm. His previously smooth palms that were used to - what one would call more gentrified activities - were now cold and raw. With every scooping motion Shouyou made, his shivering hands grew more bloody. He felt worn-out and done; he didn’t want to be there in the first place, but such was life and he had to work on.

Another brutal wave hit the side of the ship, causing the boat to creak once more and everyone on board to lose balance, yet the crew carried on. That was one thing Shouyou admired this crew for: persistency. He had witnessed too many people give up much quicker, over much easier tasks. It’s sad that now-a-days people had learned to give up, he certainly had. There had been at least five instances that evening alone where he’d contemplated just letting the waves drag him off board and see where the ocean would take him. It’s not like anyone onboard really cared for him and he knew with certainty the people on the mainland definitely didn’t. 

Once he gradually became numb to the burning sensation in his hands, a new yet dreadfully familiar feeling quickly washed over him: seasickness. He, and the whole crew, knew he got motion sick easily, but he thought with enough embarrassment it would pass. Alas, he discovered that optimistic presumption was painfully false. As he felt the telltale rising feeling climb up his throat, he decided he needed to deal with it. At this point, he had grown accustomed to his crew mates mocking his lack of sea-legs. He resigned to his fate; holding back would be worse in the long run. With aim to kill two birds with one stone, he clamped his mouth shut and scooped up another bucket full of water. Disgustingly nauseous, Shouyou quickly stumbled over to the edge of the deck. He tightly gripped the bucket with his blistering hands and swung the contents overboard. 

In that precise moment, an ear-splitting crack filled the air. Before Shouyou could even turn his head to follow the awful screech, he was flung effortlessly by a force, unbeknownst to him of what, across the railing. He felt a brief moment of pure weightlessness before diving head first into the swirling sea. The cold of the salty water hit his body like a coffin of needles. He was trapped, submerged; there was no escape for the breathlessness he felt, the helplessness due to the constrictive pain his skin felt. The nausea was won over by this new all consuming sensation. His two day long complaints of misery seemed miles away from the drowning pressure he felt in that moment. 

The current dragged him into the abyss, an abyss of alarmingly familiar hopelessness that he had grown accustomed to over the six months of his life. Shouyou considered just letting the ocean drag him down. He was already thinking in such a sinful way; why not let the devil damn him while he still has a choice. The word ‘choice’ was strangely comforting to Shouyou’s mind; it was something he had only the pleasure of becoming accounted to once in his life. That one simple, stupid choice brought him here. He lived in sin, and was going to die in sin; he had the option to swim but just letting go seemed like the more enticing offer. He had for a second contemplated whether this was all just God’s design, to test him. His life before six months ago was too peaceful he supposed and that is not how He worked. He worked in mysterious ways is what Shouyou was told throughout his youth, and mysterious all of this was indeed.

His thoughts were mildly interfered by an object floating in the corner of his eye, it appeared to be a pearl necklace. He sluggishly turned his head toward it to discover what had actually happened to him; the ship had been hit by a rogue wave. That realisation burst his previously negative bubble he was submerged in; not everything was hopeless. He eyed his surrounding area to look at the state of the ship's wreckage. Large chunks of driftwood were being dispersed across the whole ocean surface, this was his chance. Shouyou was given a chance to survive, to start somewhere new. Away from his father, rules and the life he was living in and he was going to take it. 

A particularly large plank flailed above Shouyou’s head and he took that as his queue to swim. The new wave of lifefulness and adrenaline fuelled his aching body to pull itself towards the surface. Shouyou suddenly felt a wave of breathlessness hit him, which made his swimming even more desperate. He had to get this, he needed to, for his second chance at life, his new purpose. With the air in his lungs almost fully depleted, he reached for the plank. His small stinging fingertips straining to grab onto anything that will keep him afloat. He closed his eyes in silent prayer that something would be in reach. In his self-made darkness, his prayer was answered. He briskly grabbed onto the piece of drifting wood and pulled himself to the surface.

The second his head breached the thunderous surface, Shouyou took the biggest breath of his life. In his moment of desperation, he hadn’t realised how breathless he was. He hastily pulled as much of his body possible onto the wooden surface. The biggest wash of relief plowed through him as he sought to regain his breath. As he calmed down, the throbbing pain throughout his body returned more brutal than ever. Shouyou just wanted to rest, rest his heart and his mind, so he slowly closed his eyes and let the storming ocean lull him into a resigned slumber.

* * *

Shouyou slowly regained consciousness with the feeling of dry wood under his back. From what he could register, he was definitely on a boat. The telltale, vomit inducing sway was giving his location away. He wondered if maybe his lapse of judgement had been a figment of his imagination, and that he was just laying on the deck of the ship he had been dumped on. He was rudely alerted by his body that wasn’t the case when the full body aches and hand sores blasted his senses. Every inch of his body felt like it had been beaten with a meat tenderizer, his poor palms felt like they had been scrubbed clean of skin. He laid there with his eyes closed, wary of whoever’s ship he was on.

“Cute lil fella, ain’t he?” a gruff sounding voice remarked. Shouyou’s whole body tensed at the unfamiliar voice. “Skin looks so soft, ‘wonder if I c’n poke it.” The man’s way of speaking was quite foreign to Shouyou’s ears, although there was a vague nagging feeling that he heard this type of speech before.

“Ryu, keep yer grubby hands off him!” He heard another voice yell, it sounded more stern than the first one. Next to Shouyou’s head he hears a creak, and then the voice speaks again but this time much closer. “Just my luck.” He scoffs. “Daichi let me captain the ship for the first time and I fish up a queen lovin’ orange sea-urchin.” 

Shouyou is then hit by the realisation of the situation he was in. “Pirates. I’m on a Pirate ship,” He thought to himself. He knew very little of pirates, mostly because the gentry and nobility despised them and refused to give them the light of day. He had heard of pirate hunting and bounties set on them for high prices. They were an uncivilised nuisance to society, he had been told. “Cannibals and thieves, the lot of them!” he heard his father grumble once. A wave of worry and morbid curiosity over him; are they going to eat him? Sell him? Keep him as a cabin boy? Use his tiny body parts as fishing bait? There was only one way he could find out. 

Shouyou slowly opened his eyes and was harshly blinded by the scorching sun. His hands quickly shot up to his face as he winced. “Looks like our little redhead has decided to greet us.” The self-proclaimed captain announced. 

His attitude was already putting Shouyou off. “Little? I’m not that little.” He assured himself, he was already used to remarks about his height but they still got to him. Although, he would never admit that out loud. He sat up and in one act of bravery fully opened his eyes, damn the burning sensation. 

He was met by intense blue eyes staring him down in a scowl, studying his every move. In natural retaliation, he held eye-contact with the stern man, eyeing him right back. The man was crouching in front of him in a rather odd fashion as he continued the staring contest. Shouyou used this chance to use his peripheral vision to sneakily eye him up. He wore a large brown hat with a flamboyant brim and decadent plumage, plain black trousers, a very revealing white blouse, and a delicately gold embroidered black jacket. The embroideries seemed to be crows of some sort, flying and dancing across the expanse of his runkled up jacket. 

The man seemed to notice Shouyou’s eyes straying just a little bit, since he started to smirk haughty, like he had won something. Shouyou wanted to smack that smug, creepy grin straight off his face. He stood up and turned to the almost bald man next to him. “Ryu. Since you are the one that fished him out, what shall we do with him?” He said a little too nonchalantly; Shouyou could tell by that tone that this very tall man was enjoying this. He heard it all too often during court when the judge went on a powertrip. 

The shaved man - Ryu - stalked closer. “I don’t know Capt’n, he looks lik’a keeper to me.” He said in an amused tone. Shouyou didn’t like this at all. He was being judged and stared at, toyed with. But in the back of his mind he knew, if they were going to do something bad to him, they would have already done it. Suddenly, Ryu’s face was right in Shouyou’s with a strong hand secured at his collar. Slowly Shouyou felt himself being raised off the ground until he was suspended in the air by his collar. Shouyou musters all the aggression he could possibly muster to pull the roughest, most menacing face he could manage. The man simply laughs, “He’s got a lotta spunk for a Navy brat. I’ll give 'im that Capt’n.” 

“Right Ryu, that’s enough.” The captain finally spoke. “Although, it was funny seeing this smout bare his teeth at ya. Like a little puppy.” He patronized. He walked up to Shouyou and ruffled his curly locks. “I could easily sell you for a high price to some weird noble, but I admire your spunk. Fortunately for you kid, we don’t do that around these parts.”

Shouyou had had enough. “With all due respect, captain, I’m 23 years-old. I thought your oh-so-wise self would have realised that by now.” Shouyou growled indignantly.

The captain narrowed his eyes for a second, then let out a hearty laugh. “Did I hit a nerve, little sea-urchin? You’ve got some balls talking to the captain of a pirate ship like that.” He then ruffled Shouyou’s hair again for good measure. “Actually, rather than balls, I would say idiocy. Pure, unfiltered, -” Suddenly the grip on Shouyou’s curls tightened to a painful degree, and his head was pulled towards the captain’s. “- idiocy,” He muttered against Shouyou’s face. He roughly let his hair go, whispered something into Ryu’s ear before sauntering off to what Shouyou presumed was his cabin. 

Once the wooden door slammed shut, Shouyou’s tender butt hit the ground. He was just dropped onto the ground like he was nothing. Shouyou gasped to try and catch the breath he didn’t realise he was holding. “Alrighty Kid,” Ryu blared. “You’ve been designated the cabin boy of this mighty ship, the ‘Karasuno’. Welcome aboard!”


	2. A Bleeding Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shouyou is learning the inn's and out's of the ship, starting with: always have a Koushi with you to ward off a bastard captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! Thank you so much for the kudos so far! I'm so happy people already took interest in my rather... choppy writing! I hope I don't disappoint too much.  
> I have a tendency to have bad pacing so... sorry about that (._.) AND there's no beta... amateur hour much...  
> If you have any questions about any references or language I use, just pop a comment!  
> I have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/HSpawson) if you would like to message me or randomly read some of my tomfoolery.  
> Some warnings: this chapter contains a scene where Shouyou's wound is being washed out, there's swearing and my cheesy writing aha... (//0_0//)  
> Have a nice read!

Shouyou was tired. He was dragged from one ship with a condescending crew to another, but at least this one had no connection to home. After the brief introduction - if you could even call it that - to the captain, Shouyou was dropped on the ground like he was a sack of potatoes. He understood that it was likely a show of position more than anything else. ‘Keep out of trouble, _kid_ ’ was probably what they were going for. Although he knew that, he still didn’t appreciate the extra bruises on his behind, his body was painfully throbbing enough already. As soon as Ryu announced him the new cabin boy of the ship, a short, confident man with a blond streak in his brown spiked hair threw a brush at his head and walked off. “Great, another bruise,” Shouyou thought as he reluctantly grabbed the brush and started scrubbing the deck. He decided to just keep his head down and stay out of the way. 

The man who had just thrown the brush square against his temple promptly returned with a bucket and a massive grin on his face. He dumped the foaming bucket right in front of Shouyou, then dropped down into a squat to Shouyou’s left. A little confused, Shouyou kept scrubbing; he wasn’t sure what to do. Shouyou had noticed earlier that no one was really interested in Shouyou’s presence, they had all ignored the earlier scene with the Captain and Ryu. Of course there were some heads that turned for a second when Shouyou got lifted straight off the ground, but other than that, they didn’t really care. Which is why Shouyou was a little perturbed by his crew mate’s staring, staring with a massive grin on his face. 

Shouyou flashed a quick glance at the other man and noted an excited twinkle in his eye, expectant and wondrous. Shouyou supposed he seemed harmless enough to speak to. As harmless as a pirate could be. Maybe if Shouyou made the first move, he would have more control over the conversation. Worst case he could ignore him if the man got a little too weird. “Um, Hi?” Shouyou mumbled out, still a little unsure of his decision. He kept on scrubbing and waited for the stranger to reply. An awkward stillness washed over Shouyou as he continued scrubbing. He could physically feel his skin pale. “Did I mess up? Maybe they have a caste system, or something similar to the hierarchy back home?” Shouyou worried to himself, he didn’t want to get thrown overboard just yet. 

Suddenly, he heard a deep, amused chuckle erupt from where the stranger was perched. “Ya should’a seen your face! You looked like you had been fuckin’ damned to hell or somethin’!” He out right howled at Shouyou. In fact, he was chuckling so hard that he toppled over, clenching his stomach for dramatic effect. He inhaled to try and steady his speaking. Shouyou wasn’t the brightest but he knew how to read people, even if it was just a little, So he was already prepared for another round of mocking. “Asahi always tells me stories about y’all but, seein’ someone more high strung than the capt’n is so fuckin’ funny,” The pirate continued. 

Shouyou just sighed, and carried on. It was pretty natural for fresh captee to be high strung to Shouyou, so that comment was moderately justified. Although... “Wait…” Shouyou thought, he felt his whole body grind to a stop. He scrunched his eye-brows into a pensive frown “The captain… As in that bloody black-haired bastard who just tried to yank my hair ou-” Shouyou’s heart dropped to his stomach; he had forgotten about his tendency to think out loud. All of his limbs went stiff and he had stopped scrubbing. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to start a steady stream of apologies. He had just regained the chance for a new life and his big mouth had already messed it up. “I-” 

Shouyou was interrupted by a new wave of chackling from the squating stranger next to him, “Fuck, he did it again!” He rolled back onto his back and tumbled about in a fit of giggles. After he had calmed down a little, he rolled back onto the balls of his feet. He looked Shouyou straight in the eye, the initial twinkle had returned. “You talk big for such’a tiny package. ‘Thought you were gonna be just anoth’r soulless land-lover who was scar’d shitless bein’ here.” He let out a last chuckle filled breath before extending his hand out to Shouyou. “The name’s Yu, I’m the master lookout,” He pointed up to the crows nest, which was already occupied. “The big hunkin’ man already in the nest is my partner, Asahi. He wassa navy sailor like you. ‘n I help Ryu out with gunnin’.” He cheerfully explained. 

Partner was not the word Shouyou had expected to come out of Yu’s mouth. He sat there for a second, just staring at the man, mulling over the words. Maybe they were good friends, or he was talking about the fact they were both Barrelmen, but would you regularly refer to your colleague as ‘hunkin’. “It could be a pirate thing,” Shouyou supposes. But there is a chance they may be referring to something else.

“Hey kid, my arm’s crampin’. I won’t bite,” Shouyou quickly snapped out of his bizarre trance. He shook his head for extra measure and grabbed Yu’s hand. He quickly flinched when he came into contact with the other hand; his untreated skin was still incredibly raw. “Holy mother of the sea, didn’ realise you were a hatchlin’ to boatin’.” He examined Shouyou’s hand incredulously. “Your hands must sting like a ragin’ bee’s nest” 

Next thing Shouyou knew, he was being dragged off his feet and across the deck. Yu kept a stern grip on Shouyou’s wrist as he pulled the ginger-haired boy to - what Shouyou could only assume was - the cabin. Although they were traveling quite fast, Shouyou took this chance to observe his surroundings. The deck itself was in pristine shape meanwhile all the supplies on it were chaotically splayed across it; food crates, piles of rope, hooks, fresh fish, nets, and some very sketchy looking crates that had ‘possession of Royal Navy’ burned onto them. Perhaps they had raided a ship before fish Shouyou out of the sea. The ship’s railing was beautifully engraved with birds of all shapes and sizes, adding onto an overall elegance that Shouyou hadn’t expected of a pirate ship. The crisp wood under his feet felt worn but taken care of. The entrance of the cabin he was being pulled into was a work of art; similar bird patterns to the railing welcomed you into the main foyer, which looked like their eating hall. Three large tables dominated the sticky yet cozy room; they were stained with what Shouyou presumed was copious amounts of beer and rum. Which confirmed one of the only things Shouyou knew about pirates; their unabashed drinking habits. 

He was quickly dragged around the big tables to a stairwell that started to the right of them. The stairs themselves were a little too creaky for Shouyou’s tastes but so far that was his only real complaint. When they arrived at the lower level, Shouyou was surprised to see the common sleeping area; it was a spider web of beds and hammocks with a small walkway through the middle which led to a door. Nothing much could be said about the room except that it was dimly lit and oddly dry, but Shouyou didn’t have the time to ponder as he was being escorted through the door at the end of the rows of beds. The door opened up into a small, homely kitchen where a shockingly soft looking man was preparing vegetables. Shouyou was all but flung onto a small bed on the other side of the room, which was probably their medical area. “Oi, Koushi. Ryu fished a kid out’a the sea and it appears he’sa rookie; his hands ‘re a fuckin’ mess.” Yu delicately explained. 

“I’ve been here all day, slaving away at the pot and you only care to come down when you have trouble, hmm?” The silver haired man said dramatically, turning around with a light smile. “Not very nice of you, Yu. Asahi is more considerate.” He joked then hit Yu on the head with the wooden spoon which was previously in a cooking pot. He then turns his attention towards Shouyou who was sitting upright in the assumed medical bed. “Hi sweety, what’s your name?” He gently asked. The man’s friendliness comforted Shouyou in a weird but nice way; he hadn’t heard that type of considerate tone of voice in months, it reminded him of his mother. 

“Uh, my name is Sh-shouyou,” Shouyou stuttered out, it had been a while since anyone cared to know his name. It was an odd feeling when your name became unfamiliar to your own tongue, but Shouyou wasn’t too surprised; most words had become unfamiliar. 

“Hi Shouyou, I’m Koushi.” Koushi said as he slowly came closer to the bedside of the room. He walked over to a small wooden cabinet on the end of the bed and pulled out a roll of cotton wrapping. “I’m the overall caregiver on board and this is my little station as you can see.” As Koushi kneeled, he gestured to the whole room. “The rest of the crew treat me as a housewife,” Koushi sighed as he got up. He walked over to Shouyou and sat himself beside Shouyou. “But little do they know I could kill them any second,” Koushi beamed. 

Shouyou sat there wide-eyed as Koushi inspected his hand. “Uwah, even the nice ones are scary,” Shouyou thought to himself, petrified out of his mind. He instantly recognised the feeling of letting his mouth run with his thoughts and froze. He sat there frozen until Yu’s telltale laugh echoed through the room again.

“Ya hear that Kouchi? This kid can’t keep his thoughts to ‘imself.” Yu booms with high levels of amusement. “It’s a right hoot,” Shouyou -instead of being terrified of Koushi- wanted to bury himself alive next to Alice Blunden. Only Shouyou knew how to mess up two first meetings in the span of a few minutes.

Shouyou’s attention was pulled from his embarrassment when Koushi started directly touching the sores on his hands. “The ropes did a number on your palms, I’m surprised that your hands haven’t started to rot yet.” Koushi took Shouyou’s other hand and started inspecting it as well. “This is days worth of untreated open flesh. Poor lamb.” Koushi sympathised as he set down Shouyou’s hands onto his lap. He quickly turned to Yu and asked: “Yu, get me a bottle of rum from the hold. Please,” And with that, Yu nodded his head and stormed through the door. Shouyou could hear the faint tapping of boots going down stairs; Yu treaded surprisingly heavy, Shouyou noted. Kouchi returned his attention to Shouyou with a small smile. “Yu is getting me some alcohol which I’ll pour over your wounds to clear them out. I know it seems a waste of booze but it seems to have some magical cleaning property. It’s saved a few men on this ship before...Don’t ask me how it works, just believe that I know what I’m doing. Once I’ve done an initial clean of your palms, I’ll put some honey on them to help reduce the swelling. Then we’ll use these gauze to wrap them up nice and tightly.” He explained thoroughly. Shouyou appreciated what Koushi was doing, he was trying to calm his nerves by laying everything out for him. Although the comment of murder was still screaming at him from the back of his mind, he wanted to let it rest for now. “And Shouyou, my earlier comment about killing everyone here was in jest, I assure you. Mostly anyway.” Koushi chuckled. 

From the back of the room, Yu’s now recognisable footsteps were stomping back towards the kitchen. He was carrying a large - open - bottle of rum, that he may-or-may-not have had a taste of before returning. “ ‘ere ya go Kouchi, one nice, mostly full bottle o’ rum,” Yu heaved the bottle onto the wood cabinet at the tail-end of the bed. “How long’s the kid gonna be out of service?” Yu inquired as he walked back over to the sitting pair.

“Ah, about that…” Koushi laughed while scratching the back of his head, a heavy reluctance emphasized in his tone. “Tell Tobio he can’t work until we get back,” 

Yu’s eyes bulged out of his skull. “Koushi, don’t do that to me. Really?” Yu asked, exasperated. He quickly mumbled to himself: “Thought I finally was gonna get a break,” Koushi just snorted out a quick laugh before Yu took off in a huff. 

Once Yu had left the lower deck, Koushi turned back to Shouyou, opening his mouth ready to say something before Shouyou blurted out: “Who’s Tobio?” Since Shouyou knew he was going to be with this crew for a while if he didn't mess up again, so he wanted to know who everyone was at least. On his last ship he only knew the name of the captain, but that’s because he was renowned for picking up nobleman's strange children and working them to death at sea in the guise of reformation. 

“Ah, seems like the boys haven’t introduced you to everyone yet, hmm?” Koushi observed. “That’s the current captain’s name, Tobio Kageyama. He doesn’t like people using his name though, unless it’s someone he’s close to.” 

Shouyou absorbed this information. At least he knew a little bit about the captain now, even if he first appearances did make him out to be a smug bastard. He then remembered a name the captain had muttered earlier in the day. “Who’s D-daichi?” Shouyou asked further. With that question Koushi flinched; he grew a little pale at the mention of the name. “A-apologies, I didn’t mean t-”

“It’s quite alright Shouyou,” He smiled, but it wasn’t the full, meaningful smile Shouyou had gotten used to over the past few minutes. It seemed sad, melancholic almost. “He was the past captain of the ship. You see it’s Tobio’s first voyage as captain. Daichi, he-we, Ugh” A tear slipped down his face. “It- he’s not dead or anything like that, he fell ill a while ago. We got into a little bit of a spat, you see.” He quickly wiped his eyes and inhaled to clear his voice. He looked up and blinked rapidly as he continued. “I said some things that I may or may not be beating myself up over. Ah, I’m a mess.” He laughed to himself. “Ugh, sorry about that. I’ll wrap your hand instead of vaguely spilling my heart's contents all over you,” Koushi sniffled as he got up. Shouyou heard a faint, “Get yourself together Koushi!” from where Kouchi crouched next to the bed end cabinet. 

As Koushi filled a small cup with rum, then grabbed a bowl and a pot of presumably honey, Shouyou sat in contemplative silence. Since Shouyou hadn’t really interacted with anyone in half a year now, he wasn’t really sure how to console his new crew mate. Moreover, he wasn’t really sure what the other man was upset over. But Shouyou could clearly see that Koushi was incredibly distraught about the situation. Maybe if he opened up about his own predicament, they could have a heart to heart? Shouyou wasn’t sure if he was ready to open up, or the reaction to his story would be… Although, if a group of pirates didn’t accept him, who else could he turn to? “I, um… I was disowned from my family. M-my full name was Shouyou Hinata. I-i was in love with another man, I was caught,” Shouyou shared hesitantly. He kept his eyes down on the ground and awaited for a vocal reaction from Koushi, but none came. Ah, he had probably been rejected, a man loving another man is something to find abhorrent after all, even in a pirate’s world. Shouyou slowly looked up; he had to meet the face of rejection he was too used to face to face. That is when he realised there was none to face; Kouchi was looking at him with a truly empathetic expression. His eyes, which had finally dried up, had turned into silent brooks flowing down his cheeks. There was no disgust, bewilderment or fear, just sadness and wistfulness in Shouyou’s place. He sat down in front of Shouyou as a silent gesture to continue. “A-a while ago, I had figured that something was strange with me. When I was told to court women, I had no real interest. Of course I could appreciate their beauty but…” Shouyou trailed off, letting the continuation hang in implication.

“Hmm, I get that,” Koushi replied with a small smile. He then gingerly picked up Shouyou’s hands, rubbing small circles with his thumbs over the sides of Shouyou’s hands. “The world can be such a cruel place, huh?” He whispered again with a lilt of melancholy. Kouchi looked Shouyou directly in the eye’s with a soft expression. “Shouyou, I’ll wash the rum over your hands now. It’s going to sting a lot but bear with me, alright?” He said gently. Kouchi put the bowl directly under Shouyou’s hands, then securely held onto his right wrist. Shouyou ground his teeth down in preparation; he knew if a nurse said something was going to hurt, it was going to be pure agony. “Alright, here we go,” Koushi updated as he started pouring the liquid. 

The second the rum touched his skin, it felt like thousands of fire ants bit him at once; a wall of burning pain. Shouyou’s whole body winced and clenched. The burning sensation spread across his whole hand and up to the centre of his arm. At one point, he swore he could feel the pain shoot up to his jaw. Koushi slushed the alcohol around the make sure all the sores and exposed skin were thoroughly covered. It was a horrible, horrible feeling, but there was one thing that was worse; he still had his other hand to go. Shouyou took a deep shuddering inhale when Koushi finished the cup and stood up to get more rum. “How are you holding up?” Koishi asked as he poured the rum.

“You said ‘It’s going to sting a lot’...that was the understatement of the century,” Shouyou muttered as he shuddered, staring into space out in front of him. 

“Well, luckily for you, we still have round two to go,” Koushi said as he walked over with the refilled cup. He was a little too enthusiastic for Shouyou’s tastes.

“So you are fiendish! Your warm bubbly facade is all to cover up your true love for suffering!” Shouyou jokingly implored. Inwardly, Shouyou appreciated the natural tonal shift that occurred. It was the first time he had opened up about his issues and he felt heard. He also knew from this interaction that he could trust Kouchi with his emotions, maybe they could even be friends. Friends with a pirate, oh, if his father heard that, he would double disown him. Shouyou chuckled internally to the thought.

“That may be so,” Koushi said with an incredibly straight face and without warning he poured the second round onto Shouyou’s left hand. The piercing pain spread throughout his body once again. This time it felt much worse. The burning flowed through his arm up to his mouth, causing his whole body to clench ever more than the last time. It felt as if molten rock had entered his system and decided to replace his blood. He was so focussed on the burning, he hadn’t realised his mouth was unusually wet, until a trickle dripped down his lips. Koushi looked up, and his face immediately fell into a panicked expression. “Oh sorry Shouyou! I need to finish cleaning your hand and put on the honey. If the blood becomes overwhelming, nod your head up two times, yeah?” Shouyou nodded, he appreciated that Kouchi stayed calm, even though it was kind of his fault that he bit the side of his tongue anyway. 

The burning continued as Koushi washed out the last flakes of rope strings and other debri. Once the rum was done, he carefully dabbed Shouyou’s hand with a clean cloth to dry off the excess liquid. When he thought it was dry enough, he popped the cap of the honey and applied to the blistered skin and wrapped it with a tight bandage. “Well, that should do it.” Koushi said as he got up in a rush. “I’m going to get you a little cup of seawater, just stay here and...spit out any excess blood you have into the bowl.” 

Koushi trotted away at a moderate pace, leaving Shouyou alone in the kitchen. He sat there for a few seconds on his lonesome until he heard the heavy clicking of boots on the stairwell. “I wonder who that could be,” Shouyou thought. The mystery person didn’t take long to reveal themselves; it was the captain and he didn’t look too pleased. “I hear you’ve become a leech, ey?” The dark-haired man snarled maliciously. Shouyou wasn’t really in the right mindset to deal with confrontational people at the moment, especially since his mouth was full of blood, so he opted to just glare at the haughty man. The captain stepped closer, once again invading Shouyou’s personal space like he did the first time they met. “No words, just glares, huh? Why don’t I put you to work somewhere you won’t need your hands or mouth,” He mocked.

Shouyou just rolled his eyes at that and took this opportunity to spit the excess blood out of his mouth. He had enough experience dealing with conceited men like the person standing before him. “Are you trying to insinuate something, captain?” Asked curtly. His hands were hurting, his arse ached and his temple was throbbing, he didn’t need a bursted vein on top of that. 

The captain stayed there, looking rather intrigued by Shouyou’s reaction. He once again smiled triumphantly at himself, which had Shouyou confused. “What in the devil was he thinking?” Shouyou asked himself, this time making sure he did not express his thought out loud. They once again stared at each other but this time Shouyou had more time to properly examine his eyes; they were a piercing cold blue. A blue that could chill even the warmest of hearts, which surprised Shouyou because Koushi was so close to the captain and he was probably one the warmest people he had met to date. 

They kept staring, until a pair of footsteps came trotting down. Koushi popped his head into the room with a warm smile. “I have the water! And good day to you Tobio! If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed you came down to see me,” He said with a teasing jab. The captain just replied with a huff and scrunched up his face; his demeanor completely changed around Koushi. Where did that smug bastard from a few seconds ago disappear to? Koushi carried on with his chores and brought Shouyou the cup of seawater. “Alright Shouyou, I can see you spat out a little blood. I just need you to rinse your mouth with this and then spit it out,” He instructed. Shouyou shook his head and brought the water to his lips, that’s when he felt the third round of burning sensation of the day. It wasn’t as bad as the previous two but still. 

He rinsed his mouth thoroughly and spat the overly-salty water out, sputtering at the lingering taste in his mouth. “Koushi, are you trying to kill me?” Shouyou asked jokingly, Koushi just replied with an amused huff as he went back to his original food prep chores. For a reason unbeknownst to Shouyou, the captain just remained in the cabin as a looming presence. He just stood there with his arms crossed, observing. Shouyou decided to leave the snooty man to his own devices and flopped down into the bed. Heading the captain no mind, he started to engage in small-talk with Koushi, “So, what is the masterchef of this vessel cooking for us this fine evening?” 

Koushi hummed as he finished chopping the vegetables, dumping them into a deep cooking pot. Using the spoon he had hit Yu with, he stirred the ingredients. “I call it: big papa Koushi’s dumping-whatever-is-left-on-this-damned-ship-and-hope-for-the-best with stale bread!” Koushi announced while continuing to hum. The tune was strangely familiar to Shouyou, but he couldn't quite place where he would have heard it before; it was a sweet little melody that livened up the atmosphere. 

As chef Koushi continued cooking, a previous thought came back to Shouyou; he wanted to know more about the rest of the crew. Honestly, it was the perfect opportunity since the snooty captain was there to provide some more technical input, if he decided to speak. “Do I want him to speak?” Shouyou contemplated, once again paying in mind not to vocalise his thoughts. “It’s worth a shot, since he is the captain after all.” 

Shouyou sat in silence thinking about how to ask his question until the arrogant captain - in his infinite wisdom - decided to open his mouth. “Kid, don’t think too hard. You look like you’ll shit yourself.” He stated in a dry tone. “I’m surprised the navy even kept an idiot like you on board, let alone in the navy itself. Queeny must be desperate now-a-days.” He said with an almost wicked grin. Shouyou clenched at that statement; the captain was trying to suss out Shouyou’s weakness, like an evil witch trying to lure her victim into a deep sinful sadness. But he knew he couldn’t let it get to him, although he was no longer a part of his family, he still served the queen and any offense to her was an offence to him. The captain probably knew that since navy sailors weren’t exactly lowkey about their partitism. Although, maybe that is one of the things that he should let go, since he’s started a new life, maybe the crown and his old life were intrinsically linked. Letting go of his patriotism was almost a must, he’s surrounded by pirates for God’s sake. Of course, Shouyou knew this thought path was probably not what the scornful captain was going for but he found some gold among the dross.

While Shouyou was buried in thought, he hadn’t noticed the smack across the head the captain got from Koushi. “Wh-” The captain started before Koushi pulled out another spoon and the scariest glare Shouyou had ever witnessed. 

“Tobio, where did this vile tongue appear from? Because I sure did not raise you to be this blatantly horrid.” Koushi scolded and the captain was frozen with his mouth agape. Koushi continued to eye him down until the captain looked down in pure, child-like shame - which to Shouyou was very satisfying to observe. He gave the captain one more withering glare before turning to his pot once more. “Shouyou dear, if he talks to you like that again, just give me a holler.” Koushi said with a bright smile on his face, although Shouyou could sense his eyes weren’t smiling in the slightest. Everything fell into a comfortable silence; the pot was boiling, Koushi was humming and - to put it elegantly - the captain kept his trap shut. After a few minutes, the cook decided to prompt a conversation. “So Shouyou, what were you thinking about before you were so _rudely_ interrupted by our little Tobio in the corner, hmm?”

Shouyou was slightly caught off guard by the sudden question. “Ah, I- Uh, I haven’t met the crew yet and… I was just curious about my shipmates, that’s all.” Shouyou fumbled. Shouyou was starting to get a little frustrated with his own inability to clearly speak, but he supposed it wasn’t entirely his fault. 

“See Tobio, our Shouyou was thinking about his crew and you decided to get all nasty. Shame on you,” Koushi scoffed with a hint of lightheartedness. He then resumed humming, probably as a sign that he was handing the conversational baton to his scoldee. 

The captain shot an indignant glare over to the humming cook before grumbling to himself for a few seconds. His eyes then shifted focus towards Shouyou who was curiously sitting in the bed. Maybe the captain could finally talk to him in a non-confrontational tone. “Stop lookin’ at me with those buggish eyes. Bloody bishop-fi- Aw!” Koushi beat the captain’s head once again, this time without even turning around. The captain simply scoffed while clutching his head. He took a deep breath and started again. “So, I understand you’ve met Yu,” Shouyou nodded his head. “He’s our master barrelman and since he has some experience with cannons, he helps Ryuu, our master-gunner. Ryuu, the overly loud baldy, is also my boatswain so listen to him in regards to the deck if you don’t want to be chastised; he can be a real nasty bugger. Then there’s Asahi, Yuu’s partner,” There’s that word again. “He’s my First Mate, helps out Yuu on lookout and he’s our rigger. Honestly, we’d be a sunken ship without ‘im. Then we have our nasty bastard of a pilot Kei, who also helps out with riggin’ and his co-pilot, Tadashi, who also rigs. They have a switcheroo system, kinda thing - it works so I allow it. And then we ‘ave our tyrant of a cook, nurse ‘nd Quartermaster, Koushi- OUCH!” A guilty yet amused chuckle escaped Shouyou’s mouth when the captain once again got back handed. He then looked at his hand that he was counting along with and noted that the captain had only mentioned six crew members so far, he remembered a lot more people sprawled across the deck hard at work. “I can see what you are thinking dumbass- Koushi don’t... - The rest of the crew are non-permanent crew of around twenty to thirty men who we refresh at every port. They do most of the more… trivial matters which don’t acquire authority.”

“Wow, acquire and authority, big words there captain,” Shouyou remarked without thinking. The captain's eyes instantly widened out of shock, then he smeared once again. His expressions could’ve given kid’s nightmares nightmares, but they no longer phased Shouyou; he had Koushi to slam him in the back of the head. Shouyou could feel his own cockiness radiating off of him as they once again entered into a staring contest. He took this as another chance to look over his ruffled captain again; due to all of Kouchi’s battery, Shouyou could now see the captains bandana, it was a very striking orange with more birdlike embroidery; some of his black braided locs and loose hair had fallen out framing his face in a rather… flattering way; he then looked further up and noticed that one of the feathers of his hat was an unlucky peacock feather, which was rather peculiar; lastly, his blue eyes still felt like an icy storm everytime one looked deep into them, asif a reflection of the bearer. 

“-Ouyou, HELLO!” Koushi waved in front of Shouyou's zoned out face. “Honestly you two, I was starting to think hexery was afoot.” He jokingly scoffed. “I was just waking you two up so you, Tobio, could help me bring out the plates. I hope the almighty captain here doesn’t mind,” That being said, Koushi left no room for refusal and handed over a massive pile of plates to a bewildered captain. “And since you were being so rude to the staff, you get to feed him too,” That statement made the captain almost drop all the plates in his grasp. Koushi with food-pot in hand, was already at the door waiting for the two confused shipmates he left in his wake. “Come on, the food will get cold,” He hurried as he started walking toward the stairwell.

Shouyou supposed he could at least be a little handy so he didn’t fully live up to the captain’s not-so-flattering nickname of ‘leech’. He turned to the singular loaf of stale bread and lodged it under his arm. Shouyou bounded to the staircase, and ran up to the food hall to catch up with Koushi. He didn’t want to be alone with the captain for too long without his newly dubbed personal guard. When he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Kouchi dump the cauldron onto the central table and then amble over to a bell in the corner of the room. The strong piercing sound of the bell filled the room - and presumably the whole deck - to signify that supper was ready. 

As soon as the bell sounded, the captain dumped the large pile of bowls next to the food in preparation of the oncoming herd that Shouyou heard storm over to the door. Shouyou quickly placed the bread down next to the bowls and ran towards the staircase for refuge; he didn’t want to block the main floor area near the tables. The doors bursted open. Unsurprising to Shouyou, Ryuu and Yu were the first of the hoard of pirates to break the door open. 

“What’s the grub today cheff?” Ryuu inquired loudly while scooping a bowl full of the mystery stew. 

“Stew with stuff, Ryuu… The usual,” Koushi yelled in reply over the bustle of the incoming crew. From what Shouyou could see, the stew had potatoes, carrots, white chunks that may have been fish, beans and some unidentifiable green stuff. It smelt surprisingly appetising. 

As more and more of the crew grabbed their bowlful and sat down, Shouyou noticed that the captain just stood to the side near Kouchi. He was pleasantly surprised that the captain wasn’t the first one to eat; even if he was a kouchi-whipped bastard, he cared for the well-being of his crew and Shouyou could respect that. “I guess it’s just me he’s an ass to,” Shouyou mumbled to himself. He decided not to linger too long on that thought and decided to look over his new - rather rowdy - crew. 

The tables seemed to be split into two identifiable groups; Yu, Ryuu, were on the table nearest to the stairwell where Shouyou stood, while the other pirates were seating themselves at the other two tables. It was probably a divide between permanent and non-permanent crew. From all of the tables loud yells of thanks were thrown to Kouchi’s end of the room which was something Shouyou had never witnessed on the Navy ship. Most of the men that served looked down on the kitchen staff, although Shouyou never understood why, but he guessed ingrained traditions had a tendency to stick, even if they were meaningless far away from land.

The final few stragglers grabbed their bowls and all headed toward the permanent crew table; maybe it was a silent rule on their ship that Yu and Ryuu disobeyed. Towards the end of the new incoming pirates stood an unusually tall blond man who was looking down at Shouyou rather menacingly. It was rather reminiscent of the captain's glare but it was much more loaded with disdain. The man quickly flicked his gaze away as he sat next to another man reminiscent of Koushi. 

Shouyou then stood leaning slightly against the stair railing unsure of his next course of action; he couldn’t really pick up the bowls and he had no idea where to sit. He didn’t want to appear presumptuous by sitting next to Yu and he didn’t know anyone in the group of non-permanent crew. Luckily, Shouyou was saved by Kouchi, who grabbed Shouyou’s arm and made him sit at the end of the table. A little stunned, Shouyou sat still until the Captain - who seemed a little disgruntled - sat next to him on the bench with two bowls. 

They both sat in moderate silence until Koushi plunked himself down on the opposite side of the table. “Alright Tobio, don’t let the food get cold for poor Shouyou. Remember to blow the food before feeding him,” He said, a little too pleased by the situation. Shouyou had completely forgotten that Koushi even mentioned him being fed by the captain. In all honesty, it was indignant for both parties involved. 

The captain huffed out a resigned sigh, he probably knew that he couldn’t win against Koushi. Especially since the captain and Koushi had an implied almost parental relationship, which Shouyou was admittedly a little curious about. He picked up a spoon, gently scooped up a portion of the stew and daintily brought it to his lips to blow. Shouyou watched his movement in an intrigued manner; seeing the captain who’s only been gruff, act rather gently was a spectacle to say the least. It seemed that the rest of the crew agreed with Shouyou’s internal sentiment for the whole eating hall had fallen eerily quiet. All eyes were on them.

As the captain brought the spoon to Shouyou’s mouth, Shouyou noticed the captain’s ears flush into a light shade of pink. “Oh, he’s embarrassed?” Shouyou thought while a small wave of smugness coursed through his body. That was until Shouyou realised he had to open his mouth like when he was a child waiting for his nanny to spoon-feed him. 

They both tensed as the inevitable spoon arrived at Shouyou’s mouth. Shouyou hesitantly opened his mouth and accepted the spoonful. At first, the food at first hurt his tongue a little before the hearty taste of the stew overwhelmed his senses. The saltiness of the stew mixed in with the sweeter spices created a truly wonderful taste. The potatoes and greens just melted on his pallet. Shouyou hadn’t eaten something so full and flavourful in years. Shouyou let out a pleased hum, then closed his eyes to allow his mind to catch up and appreciate the flavour. 

“Enjoying that, are you Shouyou?” Koushi chuckled. 

At that moment, Shouyou didn’t care about how his happiness appeared from outside spectators and yelled: “Koushi! This the BEST food I’ve ever _tasted!_ How?” Shouyou could feel his arms animatedly gesture along to his exclamation. Koushi had to be notified of how absolutely delicious his food was. 

The tension that had built up was unleashed by Shouyou’s gleeful declaration. The whole cafeteria erupted into a loud cheer as all the attention alleviated off of the captain and Shouyou. The pirates started to feast and drink as much as Shouyou expected, it was truly a spectacle.

Shouyou felt a warm buzzing inside his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a bit premature to fully say but, Shouyou felt at home. He felt like he could one day belong somewhere, maybe with this crew even, without having to hide. He could almost feel that his days of holding back in fear of society's wrath were by-gones. He had the chance to truly find himself and understand who he wanted to be. No longer was he tied and dragged around by the qualms of his father, Shouyou can be his own person. And, maybe, just maybe, he can truly be the young boy he had locked away in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always seen Koushi as a mother-hen type of character but I didn't want to entirely emasculate him so I hope I got that across... He got lil Kageyama wrapped our his finger and MUAHHAHAH... also got angst planned for that man. I'M SORRY.
> 
> Also, pirate Kags is a little bit of a dick but he's warming up... He got some skeletons sooooooo he gets some slack for being a 'haughty bastard'.
> 
> Also also, Shouyou is a poor bean but his sunshine will come through soon... I don't wanna keep him sad for too long...
> 
> AlSo aLsO aLsO, I'll happily explain any references I make in the fic, so don't be afraid to ask!
> 
> Also Also Also Also, BRUH IS ASAHI ASAHI'S FIRST NAME OR LAST NAME?? I tried to find out but the answer could not be found (T-T) (Shoutout to the comment that helped me out)
> 
> Have a lovely day folks!


	3. Saudade for a Fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the first and last night on the ship rolls around, Shouyou spends his time processing his day. In the midst of his restlessness he decides to take a stroll on deck. There he bumps into the Captain. Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is a week late,,, life's a lil busy ya know?  
> ALSO!!! tHANK YOU for all the kind comments and kudos! It's been motivating me to write more and I'm happy people are enjoying what I put out there!  
> I'll try not to disappoint y'all aha (ø0_0ø)
> 
> This one a little shorter than the last one but that's cause next chapter gonna be so much work... !!world building time!! 
> 
> NO BETA, I REPEAT NO BETA. I tried to reread it a few times to find mistakes but I'll never catch 'em all.

Night had come upon the seven seas, and with it, she brought an almost eerie serenity. Her darkness was still melting with daylights last struggle for control, bleeding out of the sky with bright colours. The hustle and bustle from the meal had died down along with the alcohol supply on the ship. Most of the men had drunken themselves into a sleepy daze, and so, retired to the lower deck for slumber. Shouyou, who was still a little confused about where to go, was dragged down by Koushi to the lower deck as well. 

Yu popped down for a few seconds to throw a massive piece of fabric at Shouyou along with some rope. Shouyou was wrapped in another layer of confusion at this point; what even is this thing? All was made clear when Koushi insisted that Shouyou set it up next to his bed. “A hammock?” Shouyou guessed as he awkwardly tried to unravel the sheet. Koushi quickly snatched the bundle of cloth out of Shouyou’s stiff hands and got to work. 

Shouyou previously hadn’t noticed the metal loops protruding out of the pillars and walls, which were being used to tie the hammocks. Koushi secured the rope around the loops nearest to his bed, which was to the left of the kitchen cabin doorway. Once the ropes were tied, Koushi binded the long ends of the rope to form a hammock. “It’s a little on the make-shift side but it’ll do until we get back,” Koushi remarked as he pushed down on the cloth, testing it. 

“Thank you, Koushi,” Shouyou replied, interrupted by a rather long yawn that pushed itself out of his mouth. He hadn’t realised he was that exhausted, but with the prospect of rest, his body was screaming for some good old-fashioned sleep. Although, one question still lingered in his mind- “When will we be back?… To shore, I mean,” Shouyou asked in a stutter.

Koushi stood contemplatively silent for a few seconds. “I believe we will be docking tomorrow evening. You’ll have to double check with Tobio though,” He answered still in thought, then his facial expression turned into one of hurt, “Can’t wait to leave us?” Koushi dramatically stated as he placed the back of his hand against his forehead and tilted his head back. 

Upon hearing that response, Shouyou panicked. He really appreciated all they had done for him, but he realised how inconsiderate his inquiry must have been. “Sorry, Koushi! I didn’t m-” 

A loud round of laughter erupted around Shouyou, interrupting his apology. Everyone in their proximity had heard the interaction and most chuckled along at Koushi’s heart-stilling jest. Koushi walked over and patted Shouyou’s head with a grin on his face. Shouyou was disoriented due to his grogginess but then realised that Koushi was just playing the fool again. “Sorry Shouyou,” Koushi giggled out, “You are so easy to wind up. I couldn’t resist!” 

As Kouchi explained this, Shouyou felt another wave of embarrassment hit him like an angry bull who saw the colour red. Shouyou had come to the conclusion that Koushi loved to play tricks on people using his rather innocent facade as a cover up for his plans. Shouyou didn’t mind of course, he just had to commit this to memory in case he’s entrapped again. Another thing Shouyou noted is that the other pirates liked a good chuckle; none had shown any signs of malice - except for the Captain and that one incredibly tall, scary, blond fellow- they all laughed along with the lighthearted banter the permanent crew threw about. Bit by bit, everything Shouyou was told about pirates was quickly being disproven and if he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t be happier with that fact.

Shouyou felt himself being lifted up by Kouchi into his hammock. At first he tensed - not expecting the action - but he soon let himself be heaved into the wide cloth. Shouyou felt a tad belittled by this action, but he knew Koushi came from a good place; Shouyou couldn’t use his hands after all. Once Shouyou had fully scooted himself into the hanging sheet, Koushi took the second pillow from his bed and stuffed it where Shouyou’s head would be. Shouyou assumed that was a queue for him to just plop down, so he did. A wave of relief washed over him as he lank down into the hammock. It was soothing, which was a feeling Shouyou hadn’t felt in a while.

Everyone in the sleeping cabin started settling for the night; they were throwing off their boots, some were removing their shirts, and most were hopping into their hammocks, except for Koushi, who was getting comfortable in his bed. That’s when Shouyou learned that, unlike the navy crew, the pirates respected everyone’s need for sleep. As soon as everyone was done fumbling about, the room fell into a comfortable silence. 

The dark enveloped the night sky, allowing the sea to truly settle. The ship slowly teetered through the calm waves, letting the cool winds guide it on it’s path. As the ship gently creaked, Shouyou was lying awake in a makeshift hammock next to Koushi’s bed reflecting on his whirlwind of a day. His previous tiredness was chased away by all the thoughts and actions finally culminating into last night's events. He had also grown used to sleeping with one eye open due to the unsavoury tendencies of some of the crewmates. Shouyou usually used this time to reflect and hope. This trick had kept him from doing something reckless while spiriting into a damned hole of insanity. It gave him a place for peace of mind. A tranquil place that he knew no one could get into; just himself and his thoughts.

When Shouyou woke up on the deck he had just expected to be worked further to death, but instead he got shipmates and a place to call home. He once again thought that it was a tad on the early side to necessarily call this eclectic group of pirates “home” but, so far, it felt right. Shouyou hadn’t thought of anything as being “right” in a while. 

Honestly, nothing had ever felt right to Shouyou; being stuck in his stuffy household, under the scrutiny of those above and under him. At least here, the people who were above him looked him in the eye with scorn instead of the stupid politics gentlemen seem to play back on the mainland. 

There was an unabashed sense of self among this rugged pirate crew, a heartiness, a swelling pride in all they took on. “Dignity,” that was what Shouyou decided these men had. It was worth lifetimes more than whatever the nobles owned. They understood their lifestyle and lived it. The pirates sailed the seas with aim and furocity. Shouyou hoped to at one point feel that feeling, dignity. But once again, it was too early to say all this with confidence.

As Shouyou laid in his hammock, he let the sea rock him into a contemplative lull instead of the usual stomach curdling nausea that sea illness brings. Not even a half a day ago, he had been tossed around and prepared for the worst, but it never came. Instead the opposite happened, he was released from his chains that his father and country had shackled around his days before his birth. For the first time in what felt like years, Shouyou could breathe. Shouyou relished in that feeling; being able to breathe in and out without the weight of responsibility and shame compressing his whole body. He could just exist - exist without fear or worry. 

Life had looked bleak before this day. Everyday was a slow haze that Shouyou just drifted through, asif he was just waiting for each evening to arrive. The navy crew that Shouyou had been dumped with were a mixture of young men in positions similar to him and routine navy sailors. The captain of that particular ship was known for taking aboard “ _ troubled” _ sons of gentry and correcting them. His method of “correcting” was well known to be harsh, but his father believed that was the least that Shouyou deserved. After all, his son’s primary role was to produce an heir and Shouyou couldn’t even do that properly. 

The six months aboard had been laborious, hard and his crewmates hadn’t taken too kindly to him. They mocked him for his smaller stature and his ginger hair. He was pushed about and used as a means to off load chores onto. There had been one instance where one of his crew mates was threatening to become violent towards him, but luckily for him the captain stopped him. Afterall, it was his job to dole out the physical punishments, not the reformees’. All in all, it could have been worse Shouyou supposed, although… the young men that were sent with him could have been kinder to him, since they had similar experiences. Having similar lots in life didn’t mean you would react the same, Shouyou reminded himself - that was the only thing Shouyou caught onto during his hours of studying Hamlet. 

Shouyou spent another while letting the waves gently sway him from left to right. It brought a peace to Shouyou he didn’t fully understand; maybe it reminded him of a time when things were easier. A time where he could just let everything float past him, because it hadn’t come to mind that he should be paying attention. The fleeting youth that he had taken advantage of before life smacked him in the face, leaving bruise after bruise. Leaving Shouyou as a silent shell of who he previously was; a mannequin molded to take orders.

Shouyou took a deep sigh; he was known for his optimism back home, yet here he was, contemplating life to such an existential degree. Hopeless and wistful due to his past. Shouyou was praised and loved for his buoyancy and sanguine naivety by his mother, his sister, and… his lover.  _ He _ would have hugged Shouyou and told him everything would be alright. That one day, they could seek refuge somewhere, away from all the pain and responsibility Shouyou was thrust upon. He would have given Shouyou one of his rare smiles that lit up rooms, then in the eb of his emotion, he would have given Shouyou a kiss. A kiss so passionate yet sweet that it conveyed unspoken assurances, a kiss so full of meaning that it gave Shouyou a glimmer of hope in his monotonous life. But that very kiss was what got Shouyou here.

A wave of melancholy washed over Shouyou. The past could not be changed and it did one no good to ponder for too long, Shouyou knew that yet… His mind always seeked to remind him of that one fateful afternoon. The afternoon where he was taken away from his only sanctuary and tossed onto a ship to atone for his sin. A sin left unknown to the onlookers that witnessed him boarding the ship; even the mention of his sin was damnation to his father. His father was all too pleased to get rid of Shouyou, Shouyou knew that with certainty. His family was not known for subtly, and his father was the perfect example for that. His eyes gleamed with disdain whenever Shouyou didn’t sit straight enough in his chair, whenever he walked a bit too fast, whenever he smiled a little too much; everything was wrong. Shouyou knew most of his criticisms were unwarranted. His mother made it her life goal to remind him that his father was just trying to ensure he was raised right, but she didn’t see the gleam in his eye. The gleam of repulsion that his father had for him since the day he was born. 

Shouyou had to get some fresh air; all of this contemplation wasn’t doing him any good, and he knew himself well enough that he wasn’t getting a wink of sleep after that. He slowly sat himself up to observe his sleeping crewmates. All was still, apart from the snoring of course. 

With that conformation, he shifted onto his belly to slowly shift himself off of the hammock. Shouyou slid as slowly as he possibly could to avoid any clatter caused by his footsteps. Once his left toe touched the ground, he gingerly rolled his two feet down, successfully avoiding too much creaking from the planks beneath him. He stepped into his boots, then tiptoed over to the staircase past all of the sleeping crew. 

Shouyou was surprised that they were able to sleep in such close proximity to each other; the alcohol was making all of them snore louder than a pod of humpback whales. His small creaks while walking up the stairs went unnoticed through the cacophony of snores. He arrived at the eating hall; it was ripe with the smell of spilled booze. Every careful step Shouyou took was hindered by the almost adhesive lining of drink that coated the floor. Shouyou knew that it wasn’t _ this  _ bad when he had initially walked through this room. Then he recalled that this was probably their last eve on this ship, which would clarify the excessive liquor consumption.

As he trudged toward the door, the stickiness lessened, allowing for smoother strides. When Shouyou finally reached the door, he gently shoved it to allow the creaking to stay at a minimum. He followed the door as it opened, turning his back to the outside to gingerly ensure the door closed as soundlessly as possible. 

Shouyou turned around again and was met with a salty zephyr of air. He took a deep breath, allowing all of his troubles to drift away. He only felt a little lighter with that breath; somethings would always weigh him down no matter how liberated he believed he was. With every breath he took, another stone off his back was carried away, slowly letting Shouyou relax. His mother had taught him that focussing on breathing worked like magic; the pure air that God had gifted was created to alleviate the burden of his children. Although Shouyou’s beliefs had been punched in the gut, the sentiment had stuck with him. So he breathed, in and out, focussing on the cool air gusting into his lungs.

Shouyou used his moment of unwinding to take in his surroundings. It was a lot more restful than it was hours ago, about five people manned the deck from what Shouyou saw; the scary, tall blond man was busy inspecting the rigging; up on the quarter deck, a nice-looking, green haired fellow was steering the ship; Ryuu was sitting on a bunch of crates, looking everyone over; lastly, there were two or three of the non-permanent crew on standby. Shouyou was impressed by how organized the crew was, although he did wonder when the night crew slept. He had previously seen most of these men walk around hours ago, so they definitely weren’t sleeping during the day. Maybe it was the sorcery surrounding the rum they were consuming. “How peculiar.” Shouyou thought to himself.

A loud, familiar chuckle erupted above Shouyou’s head. His head shot up out of curiosity. The deep, cheerful laughter was coming from Yu, who idly rested his head on - what Shouyou assumed was - Asahi’s broad shoulder. They were quantly talking to each other, both looking calm and blissful in their world high above. Shouyou’s suspicion of the meaning of partner was confirmed, they looked like an old married couple basking in each other’s presence as the world went by. Just seeing the scene unfold above him, brought a smile to Shouyou’s face. All of his worrisome thoughts had been expelled, shunned for another day. He stood there, watching the loving couple, as if in a stupor.

“What’ya staring at ginger?” An irritable voice rumbled next to him. Shouyou nearly jumped out of his skin, the bubble of happiness that had just formed around him had burst in a rather unpleasant way. It was the stupid, bastard captain again. Shouyou rolled his eyes once his heart had calmed down from the initial shock. “They gettin’ it on again? Honestly, I told ‘em to hold back on the ship.” The captain sighed, like an old man who has become sick of telling off youngsters. “I’ve seen too much in my time.” At this point Shouyou laughed heartily to the point of bending over his stomach, “Don’t mock me! Stupid banshee soundin’-” He stopped to look around, which in turn made Shouyou chortle even harder. Koushi’s threats had proven to strike a subconscious fear in the Captain, or he just didn’t want to get knocked on the head again. “Fuckin’ Koushi” The captain grumbled under his breath. He stood there in a huff with his arms crossed as Shouyou continued to chuckle. 

“Sorry Captain, you-,” Shouyou took a breath to weeze out a final laugh, “remind me of an old man that would complain of the youth of today. No wonder Yu thinks you are so high strung.” Shouyou continued to giggle quietly, the cheeky slip of the tongue not going unnoticed by the Captain.

“High strung eh?” The captain’s grumpy looked turned into an irritated scowl. “He’s just pissed that I don’t let him ride a man and the seven seas at the same time. Not on my ship at least.” He huffed, looking a little repulsed at the thought. He glared up to the crow's nest, presumably to check if they were following the captain’s rules. His stare lingered in a scowl, but slowly, Shouyou noticed, it melted into something a little less stern, almost, caring. Satisfied with his observation, he huffed.

They both stood there for a while, just letting the wind drift by. The magnificent stretch of the sea was a sight to behold; every calm wave that rolled over creating a splash of pearls that scattered instantaneously. When Shouyou heard the tales of the majestic beasts that ruled the ocean, he wasn’t surprised; such a vast and mysterious place was naturally intended for the weird and wonderful. Shouyou crouched down to seat himself; he wanted to waste all of his energy on soaking up the beautiful view. 

The craft of sailing was never lost on Shouyou, he admired the brave men who set sail. Those men always came back with stories to tell, but never those of awe and wonder. It was always a tale of strife and fear, the sea was seen as a monster waiting for it’s prey. He could understand that point of view, the way they worked one to the bone on navy ships was nothing to speak kindly about, but they missed the beauty. Shouyou supposed it was easier to scorn what one couldn’t understand, but what is there to understand? Why can’t one just behold and surrender to the serenity, instead of looking for reason. Reason was a concept that was overused, abused to the point of no return. His father used ‘reason’ to take control over everything. Why did everything he did, always come back to his father? Shouyou frowned, he came outside to escape those thoughts, not rebrandish them onto a new topic.

“So, how’s the hands doin’?” The Captain asked out of the blue, he must have sensed that Shouyou was tensing over something.

“How considerate,” Shouyou thought to himself. He looked at his hands, turning them to inspect the bandages. He tried to bend them, then raised his hands up as he turned to the Captain. “A little stiff, don’t you agree Captain,” Shouyou said with a forced smile, he didn’t want to spend his life moping around. 

The Captain rolled his eyes with a huff. “Seems pain doesn’t stop stupidity on the mainland,” He spoke, exasperated. The conversation came back to a silent eb, before the Captain spoke again. “We’ll be at the harbour by morrow’s eve. If the wind picks up, you might make high-tea or whatever ya call that.” He sneered, but in a manner that could almost be misconstrued as an attempt at humour. “Anyhow, since you’re a smout and speak all fancy, the people on land will rob ya. Since I’m a benevolent Captain, I’ll let you stay with me.” He said as haughtily as he possibly could. 

Shouyou smiled to himself, the Captain wasn’t a complete cold-hearted bastard after all. Something in his eyes showed that. The pale blue of the ravenous waves that held mystery and wonder was reflected in them., the eye’s of a pirate. “Wow there Captain, wouldn’t want people to think you’ve gone all soft and taken a queen-loving orphan on.” Shouyou retorted in jest, “that should get under his skin” Shouyou mumbled under his breath.

Piercing blue eyes shifted to Shouyou, almost as if to egg Shouyou on. To dare him to say more. This time Shouyou conceded, he didn’t want to be left alone on the island that he was sure of. The captain smirked as if he could read minds. Shouyou wouldn’t be surprised to find out he was some sort of sea witch, his ability to be so vile and cunning, yet being a bastard at the same time, only witchcraft could support that. “ I’m not doin’ this out of the goodness of my heart, sea-urchin. I… I need you to read,” The captain said, with a snippet less confidence than usual.

“To read?” Shouyou was confused, what did he need to read? Weren’t maps mostly wordless? Unless the Captain suddenly wanted to read Shakespeare or Machiavelli, reading wasn’t that important. 

“A past mentor of mine was… a zealous man. He want’d to learn all there was to life ‘n learn’d how to read-” That’s where he gets his random sophisticated words from, Shouyou noted, “- ‘nd write. The bastard wrote me a letter before disappearin’ on me.” The Captain explained. He looked to Shouyou with a strange sense of determination and sincerity in his eyes. “I need you to read it for me,” 

Shouyou shook his head in agreement. Even if this guy was a bit of an arse, he still showed Shouyou kindness. Kindness that Shouyou needed to repay. They both fell into silence once more, letting the wind carry the unspoken words to another day. Shouyou finally felt drowsy again. The nagging feeling of uncertainty was quelled enough, but he was too lazy to get up. His eyes closed slowly, asif a little fae was pulling them down, imploring that he sleep. 

Unconsciousness took over Shouyou’s body, overtaking his limbs in a pleasant numbness. The ocean acted as a nanny once more, rocking the boat from side to side, this time effectively taking Shouyou to a world of dreams. His vision turned black as he only heard his breath and the crashing of waves. 

From the back of his mind, Shouyou could hear a voice. A voice that didn’t sound too happy, but Shouyou ignored it, choosing the blissful tenebrosity of sleep. 

“You’re a handful, Fuckin’ urchin,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised the first chunk of this chapter could have been added to the end of the last chapter... oh whale.
> 
> Also I made a reference to Hamlet, does that make me a literary genius now? No? It doesn't? Oh, okay... :(
> 
> I tried not to be too repetitive but this story is like... weirdly inner monologue based so... Also daddy issues 101 aha. teehee.. who do y'all think Shouyou's lover was? There's a canon chara in my head but I wanna know what y'all would guess.
> 
> Yu and Asahi a little frisky sometimes... Poor Kags doesn't know how to deal with the gay on his ship.


	4. Land Ho!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Land Ho, for the Karasuno. Shouyou meets the entire crew, and bumps into some familiar faces.
> 
> Warnings: !Koushi angst!, !Homophobia!, Idk if this should be a warning but Kageyama is shirtless and there's a part where Shouyou is looking and it get's a little descriptive. and !Kageyama Angst!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK Y'ALL FOR THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS!!! I LOVE Y'ALLLLL <3 <3 AND SORRY IT'S SO LATE... I've really set myself up for failure. I hope it's up to standards... 
> 
> Here's two quick [sketches](https://twitter.com/HSpawson/status/1339355177892126722?s=20) I did. Honestly, might knuckle down and made a cover for this fic.  
> Also, this chapter has so much in it... and it all occurs over one day like... idk... so many KageHina moments that just... slipped out for no reason (=ↀωↀ=)✧ 
> 
> Lil status update: imma try and upload fortnightly. It just works better with my schedule and I usually finish a chapter by then. 
> 
> This chapter was SO hard to write for me: I cannot for the life of me write place descriptions (T-T) This problem lowkey leaks into my art 'cause I can't draw backgrounds for SHIT. I should kin a background artist and manifest their skills... sorry Fluttershy (,_,) Also, there's SO MANY characters in this show... Idk if I can even mention all these babies, let alone do them justice... So don't be surprised if I just straight up not included some characters (T-T)
> 
> I have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/HSpawson) if ya want to chat with me! Or bully me... Idk, both are kinda epic.  
> Honestly wouldn't be surprised if people avoided the author's notes 'cause of my atrocious use of language.
> 
> EDIT: I found some grammar and mild plot inconsistencies, so I did a few edits on this chapter. I wrote the end really late at night, so apologies to the change in tone... Although it does match with the haziness of being drunk... Genius or just tired? You'll never know.

Blissful. That’s how Shouyou felt at that very moment. He was enveloped in a soft, luxurious cosiness. A comfortable warmth surrounded him, cradling and protecting him. He felt safe, he felt at home. He didn’t want to think at that very moment, letting his last moments of slumber drift him into a mellow lull. The worries he had carried had melted away; which worries he didn’t know. He just knew they were but a distant memory.

The morning rays of light were gingerly filtering through Shouyou’s eyelids, gently informing him that it was time to rise. He decided to ignore that in favour of having a few more moments of rest. Shouyou had a rather awful dream during the night prior, which was surprising to him because he felt so well rested. He supposed that the mind works in mysterious ways and threw away any implications his previous thoughts could have. 

As he grew slowly more lucid, he opted to ignore the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. For right now, he was at home, in his bed. He wanted to stay in his secure state of dwam. Shouyou knew he would be awoken by his familial butler, get dressed, greet his dearest mother, eat breakfast, etcetera, etcetera. Same old, same old. Every day felt the same anyway, so why wasn’t he allowed to give himself a longer rest; just a moment longer where he could enjoy the blissful feeling that came with slumber. 

In an attempt to get more comfortable, he flopped over onto his right side. Shouyou snuggled his face into his pillow which had a rather peculiar fragrance. A gentle waft of salt and lemon with a hint of cinnamon hit his nose. “Must be the cleaning staff’s new cleaning method.” Shouyou supposed, as he continued to sink back into the mattress. That was when he felt it; a soft yet oddly bristly feeling tickling the point of his nose. Shouyou froze in confusion. His previous bubble of bliss burst in a second.“Was that..hair?” Shouyou cautiously thought to himself. 

With an anxious hesitance, Shouyou slowly opened his left eye. As he did, the unfamiliar setting he found himself in flooded his senses. He was in - what appeared to be - a rather spacious wooden cabin. His eyes quickly scoured the foreign room for hints of where he could possibly be; the room itself felt quite cluttered with paper, trinkets, and peculiarities poking their head out of the multitude of cabinets that lined the walls; a large messy table dominated the centre of the room, which appeared to be a navigation bureau of sorts, followed the pattern of being incredibly messy, and lastly; the black mop of partially braided hair that Shouyou was currently a hairs length away from. 

All of his memories flooded back to him; he was on a pirate ship. Not just in a pirate ship, he was in the Captain’s quarters, and not just in the Captain’s quarters; he was in Captain Tobio Kageyama’s bed. That realisation shook him to the core. His heart was racing out of pure fear. 

How had he ended up in this bed? When did this even happen? Oh, sweet Jesus, what would the Captain’s reaction be to him being in his bed? His mind was running havoc and dragging his nerves along for the ride. How was he supposed to escape?

“Maybe this was a trap?” Shouyou pondered this idea, “No...He’s too stupid to even contimplate doing that.”

“Thanks for that, ungrateful little Urchin,” The grouchy - yet surprisingly soft - ball of hair grumbled out as it rose. The disgruntled Captain sat up with a scowl, piercing Shouyou’s mortified soul with his striking blue eyes. Shouyou’s morning bliss had officially been squashed. 

Shouyou cursed his forsaken, loose lips. Why couldn’t God have gifted him with vocal control? As he gave himself mental lashings, the captain unravelled himself from the quilts and stood up. That was when Shouyou was exposed to an absolutely shocking view of the Captain; he was completely in the nude. Modesty was clearly not in the Captain’s vocabulary because he was content enough to strut around his cabin with another person present! Although, if Shouyou was being at least a little bit honest with himself, the captain’s form was quite easy on the eye, but that was besides the point. 

“What’ya gawkin’ at?” The Captain asked nonchalantly, as if he had no idea that he was being incredibly indecent. He walked over to his wardrobe that was right next to his night stand. It was way too close to the bed for Shouyou’s liking. The Captain pulled on his trousers silently, since the question he posed was highly likely a rhetorical question, he wasn’t wait for an answer. 

Shouyou tried to busy himself by looking out of the glass panes that were to the left of him. They probably showcased a colourfully distorted version of the busyness on the deck, which Shouyou could be admiring, instead the still naked torso in the corner of his eye was screaming for his attention. He spent a few more seconds trying to fight his scandalous thoughts, but he was but he was a mere mortal and gave into temptation.

His eyes lead the way for the rest of his body’s trajectory. First, he glanced to the side to ensure he wouldn’t be caught ogling at the haughty, inconsiderate, obscene - strapping - man. Once his mind was settled, he adjusted his angle to be able to view him fully. 

“Oh, Lord, forgive me for I have sinned.” Flashed through Shouyou’s mind as he drank in the view of the Captain. His contoured back muscles flexed as he reached up to sort his hair into a white bandana. Shouyou didn’t even know that one could drool just by looking at another person, but he’d just unintentionally learned. Of course a pirate had to be built but he hadn’t been expecting _that_. The Captain looked as if he was sculpted during ancient times by Myron himself. There was a gracious, hypnotic quality to the way the Captain’s body moved, it was a shame that it had such an infuriating ego attached to it. 

While Shouyou was drifting off in his own thoughts, the Captain continued to dress himself. He pulled his shirt over his head, allowing Shouyou one final, shameful glance. Finally, he whipped on his majestic coat and placed his signature embroidered hat upon the crown of his head, then he shifted his gaze over to Shouyou. His previously relaxed, albeit, focussed expression, slithered into that of unadulterated smugness.

“Y’er droolin’, Endymion.” He pointed, as he tapped under his lips. Shouyou followed the path of the finger, still stuck in his stupor. Shouyou could vaguely hear a chuckle directed at him, but he couldn’t seem to snap out of the spell he was under. Shouyou would not be surprised to discover that the Captain was a warlock, or a spellcaster of some kind - why else would Shouyou be so enthralled by a man like him? Shouyou shook his head violently, those thoughts would get him nowhere. He had to focus instead of indulging in lechery. 

Shouyou finally looked forward and was met with the Captain’s eyes. The loudest squeak preceded to leak out of his mouth as he stumbled flat onto his back, accidently banging the end of his head against the wall. Shouyou cringed as he felt his head throb at the pain of the collision. His heart was racing once again due to that- “goatish man.” Shouyou yelled in frustration. 

A triumphant guffaw erupted out of the Captain. “Goatish? Who, me?” The Captain chuckled for a little longer before composing himself. He leaned down to where Shouyou was splayed out across the bed, still a little rattled by his run in with the wall. “I have an proverbe, since you noble land-lovers seem t’enjoy ‘em so much.” He inched closer, placing his arm right next to Shouyou’s waist. “I believe it goes ‘The pot calling the kettle black’... Does that sound familiar to ya?” The Captain sneered.

A furious blush spread like a wildfire across Shouyou’s face. He knew he wasn’t exactly the epitome of stealth but still, he did not enjoy being caught. His heart hammered in his chest at an unnatural rate, but this time for another reason. He felt like a mouse who was cornered by a starving crow, and what a weird sensation that was indeed. Although, him being a goat being hunted down by a wolf would be a much more fitting analogy, the Captain had such a birdlike quality that couldn’t be ignored. 

The Captain kept eye contact, critically staring deep into Shouyou’s eyes for what felt like lifetimes. Shouyou could do nothing but stay pinned to the bed under this strange man’s scrutiny. It seemed that all interactions with the Captain ended up with silent observation, both men trying to seek an answer to the curiosity of one another. Although this time, Shouyou is being judged due to his inability to control himself. Shouyou scolded himself internally, he wished that he was still sleeping and not in this predicament. How did he even end up in the Captain’s bed in the first place. 

Shouyou didn’t have the time to even remotely contemplate that due to the obvious shrinkage of space between the Captain and himself. Or maybe he was just imagining it? That proposition was nullified as the Captain’s breath gently dusted over his face. “Why is he getting so close? Is this a pirate tradition?” Shouyou thought to himself while panic ran rampant through his body. Shouyou didn’t know what to do with himself, looking into the Captain’s eyes made his heart run to another world, but the Captain was so close that nothing else could be done. Except… Shouyou’s curious eyes shifted down. He then locked eyes with the Captain’s full lips. “Never again. THAT SOMEHOW MADE IT WORSE,” Shouyou screamed internally. Maybe he is just a goatish fiend who wants to lock lips with any man he sees afterall. 

A low chuckle dusted Shouyou’s cheeks. The Captain stood up with a triumphant smirk. “Looks like the randy urchin has learned his lesson for now.” He snickered snidely. Shouyou wanted to smack that smirk right off of his smooth face and stomp on it. 

“How _dare_ he mock me in such a manner.” Shouyou fumed at himself. He knew if he vocalized any of this, the Captain would retaliate with something much worse. So, he stuck to mustering the deepest glare he could’ve possibly dragged out of himself and aimed it at the annoyingly tall bastard. Shouyou knew that this exchange had already happened before, yet when he was with the Captain, it always returned to this. Throwing glares and hurling insults at each other that would make any sailor proud. He didn’t get a second to contemplate before a familiar fellow bursted into the room. 

“‘Ello Capt’n! How ‘re you this morn’n?” Yuu bellowed with the brightest grin on his face. He somehow radiated more boisterous joviality than usual. He had a warm glow about him, how peculiar. 

The Captains head snapped over to where Yuu stood. He stood there in analytic silence before his face contorted into disgust. “You randy bastard! What did I say about bumping uglies on MY ship?” He barked, exasperated. 

“Well,” Yuu smirked in a mischievous way, “Ya don’t own the crow’s nest. Asahi paid for it to be fix’d up ‘nd all the new materials, Capt’n.” He raised his eyebrow in challenge as the Captain stood there with fire in his eyes. 

The rage the Captain was emitting was almost palpable. Never in all his years had Shouyou seen such anger flow from such a silent bastard. Shouyou swore that if he pricked a needle at the top of the Captain’s head, steam would burst out and fill the whole room. It was amazing yet terrifying. Actually, Shouyou felt a bizarre sense of satisfaction from seeing that man wound up so tight. 

“See that shrimp, that’s how ya wind up a man. Not by touchin’ his nob, but by kickin’ his pride in the balls.” Yuu smirked pridefully. Shouyou took mental notes for the next time the haughty bastard tried to mess with him. “Anyhow, ‘wasn’t ‘ere to wind ya up. I just popped in to let ya know that the wind was quite chipper and guided us to land much earlier than expected. We’ll be at the dock in a short while. Just lettin’ ya know before tellin’ the rest of the crew.” Yuu informed them. Once he said his piece, he spun on his heel and headed back to the door. He opened it and had one foot out before teasingly yelling: “Don’t break your own rule though Captain. Poor Land-legs won’t be able to handle it.” Then the door slammed. 

“By the God of the sea, he really does know how to piss someone off.” The Captain grumbled. He walked over to the large navigation table toward the back-centre of the room. “Oi pea brain, come here,” He barked as he stood by the map, studying it. 

Unbothered to argue, Shouyou complied and dredged over to the table. The feeling of having slept in one’s clothes making him feel scruffy and drowsy. Once he got to the table, he noticed the details on the map. Monsters and creatures filled the sea, creating a dreadful image. Ships were half sunken and areas were marked as death zones. The ocean was painted in her darkest and coldest colours - portrayed as the all consuming god-like entity that the civilised world denies she is. 

A large knife ended Shouyou’s exploration of the map when the Captain stabbed it into an empty looking area off the coast. The Captain huffed as he clenched the knife. “This is where the pirate islands are. We purposely don’t put ‘em on the map in case the queen-lovers get our ships and gun us down.” He said sternly as he pointed to a little black dot about a half an inch of the knife. “There’s our tradin’ post or meet-up spot for land-lovers. If the navy wants to deal with us, they meet us there.” He explained, then he furrowed. “They also go there to wreak havoc. Boose, whores, murder, they vent it out on us… Only go there if you are desperate, or have five knives and a secret pistol strapped to your leg in case they get handsy. That’s why I despise you lot… hypocrites in the worst form I tell ya. Y’all preach purity then….” The Captain scrunched his face together in disgust. His hand was shaking around the knife he had in his hand, it caused his knuckles to whiten. 

To Shouyou - the Captain’s body language screamed either alone time or comfort hug, and he couldn’t decide which one was the most appropriate. He didn’t want to make the Captain’s experiences trivial but an embrace, he felt, wouldn’t go over so well either. He had a third option that he was very bad at, although it did work with Koushi - comparing Koushi and the Captain’s temperament is like comparing apples to oranges. He could jabber on about his experiences in the hope the other participant feels comfortable enough to join in, or just listen so their head isn’t stuck on the bad memory. 

Or perhaps a silent comfort was the option. Just knowing a soul was there to listen to your sorrow, aided even the strongest of warriors. Shouyou wasn’t one hundred percent sure how it all worked but it helped him, so maybe it might help the quivering man before him.

Although the Captain was a complete and total bastard, no one should face scary memories alone, Shouyou decided. He had a plan, a dodgy plan that might backfire like a musket, but it was a plan. 

Shouyou slowly brought his hand to the captain’s which was still clinging on to the knife’s butt. As their skin touched, the Captain tensed which wasn’t a great sign to Shouyou, but he continued his plan. Once his hand - which was dwarfed by the Captain’s hand - had settled, he started gently rubbing his thumb in a circular motion. The hope was that it helped settle the Captain, but Shouyou knew deep down the Captain would probably throw a fit. So when the Captain just sighed and clenched his eyes shut, Shouyou was pleasantly surprised. 

A few minutes of silence passed as Shouyou continued his ministrations. During that time, the Captain’s rugged breathing had evened out and his whole body seemed less tense. The troubling thoughts had appeared to have been tamed for now. Of course Shouyou could only make simple observations, but he felt that he helped the poor bastard out a little. 

“Alright ginger smout, enough of this sappy...,” The Captain waved his hands around dismissively in an attempt to explain his meaning. “Whatever. I- Do not mention this to Koushi. He’ll coddle me like he’s my mother or somethin’.” He sighed to himself and frowned again. He seemed to do that when he’s mulling his options over. After a few more seconds of thinking, he mutters something under his breath.

“Sorry Captain, I didn’t quite catch that.” Shouyou inquired honestly.

“I said: Thank you.” The Captain spat out in a harsh tone. Well, at first it seemed harsh but Shouyou realised he was just masking his embarrassment. Another note added to the ‘wind up the Captain’ cabinet. “Anyway,” He huffed, “As you heard, we’ll be docking soon and we’ll need as much man power as possible to get this done. What post did you have on that damned Navy ship?”

Shouyou took a few seconds to remember the name of his task, but realised he had usually just been thrown about wherever he was needed. “Uh, I was used for most of the tasks, Captain. Although, I would say I was manning the ropes and sails most of the time. I can jump real high, you see and they tasked me with grabbing the ropes in higher places. Does that help?”

“Aye, you can help Asahi, Tadashi and their squad to haul in the sails. After you’ve done that, wait for me in Koushi’s nook. Your clothes are uniform and anyone with any experience knows that. You’ll be-”

“Robbed, yes, you said that last evening.” Shouyou rolled his eyes, he didn’t want to be mothered by the Captain of all people. 

“Oi, urchin. Don’t go all ungrateful snob on me. I’ll-.” The Captain barked, but Shouyou knew they were empty threats by now. But it didn’t make the exchange any less amusing.

“Of course, your royal highness.” Shouyou cheekily threw back. Calling him royalty will surely get him riled up; his distaste for the Queen is almost a personality trait at this point.

To Shouyou’s surprise, the Captain didn’t take it as the offense Shouyou meant. That was clearly evident in the large smirk - which was more horrifying than the prospect of growing old but remaining a mere stump in height - that grew on the Captain’s face. “Your Royal Highness, King Tobio? I like the ring of that.” He proclaimed smuggly. Shouyou stood there mouth agape, that was not the reaction he had anticipated. It was probably the antithesis of any possible angry outburst he thought of, but then again: the Captain was a tall, snide bastard. 

The Captain raised his eyebrow to coax a rebuttal out of Shouyou, but Shouyou would not fall for his tricks again. He was tempted to just storm out of the room, but that would signify that, that sneaky bastard won, which he had not. So a glare was once again his only option. 

“Alright Shrimp, as much as I find deep pleasure in getting ya all riled up - we need to get this hunk of a ship docked.” The Captain said condescendingly as he sauntered to the door. “And don’t forget: meet me at the med bay or else.” Then the door was slammed. 

Shouyou stood there, a little bewildered how he lost control of that conversation so fast. He was also a tad frazzled by the swift exit the Captain made, leaving Shouyou all alone in his sleeping quarters. Why the Captain wasn’t more weary of him, he couldn’t fathom, but he got a good night’s rest out of it, he supposed. Although, that did also raise the question once again, why he even was in there in the first place. The Captain probably brought him in after falling asleep, but why didn’t he dump Shouyou into his makeshift hammock, or wake him up? That was what Shouyou would have expected from the inconsiderate arse at least. This whole morning had just been a whirl storm of confusion to Shouyou and he was ready to just move on for now.

A sigh pushed itself out of Shouyou’s chest - he had to get to work and sooner, rather than later. He ambled toward the door, his footsteps quickening as the sound from outside the cabin grew louder and more rowdy. Shouyou realised he hadn’t yet had the chance to properly see the whole crew at work which gave him a little more incentive to get there quicker. If Shouyou was being honest with himself, the fact that the Captain trusted him enough to help the crew out made his heart swell a little with happiness - although he would never mention this to the Captain.

He exited the cabin and practically skipped over to where the _impressively_ tall, brawny man stood by the boom of the main sails. He was accompanied by a shorter, cheery looking, green haired man, and a whole group of burly pirates was gathered before them. As Shouyou stalked closer, he heard the snippets of instructions the group was being relayed. But, unfortunately for Shouyou, he stepped in right at the end of the explanation. 

Not knowing what to do, Shouyou lingered behind the two leading figures as the group in front of them dispersed. Shouyou was never good in these situations - he never knew if it was acceptable to just walk up to a group or not. The nervous energy that tended to build up during these situations was always a kicker to try and rid himself of. His mother had similar issues and had taught him some simple tricks to rid himself of the churning he felt in the wake of uncertainty. So, he stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot in tandem with the waves beat, letting the butterflies float through his veins and disperse. He closed his eyes and let his breathing guide his thoughts.

“Uh, hello?” A deep, yet smooth voice interrupted. Shouyou shook his head to regain focus. Once he looked up, he saw that it was the brawny man - Asahi, if Shouyou remembered correctly - who had made the first attempts to communicate. 

Shouyou was silent for a few more seconds, a little frazzled before replying. “Hi, uh, my name is Shouyou. I- Nevermind, you probably know who I am. I-, uh, I was told by the Captain to assist-”

“No worries Shouyou, the Captain popped out a few minutes before you did to tell us that you’d be helping us.” The jovial green-haired man answered. He went quiet for a second before perking up again. “My name’s Tadashi, by the way. I’m the pilot along with good ol’ Kei who’s at the wheel right now. He’s a tad on the grumpy side but he’s a good guy. Anyhow, I just explained to the rest of our rigging crew what our plan of action is. We’re basically going to pull in the sails to steer into the narrow channel that leads to the inland harbor. We don’t need to worry about steering too much once we squeeze in since we have a spot we always station ourselves. Hmm, anything else Asahi?”

Asahi thought for a second and scratched the side of his head. “Uuuh, Oh! Koushi wanted me to relay to you that um... “ His face went red as he chuckled with a hint of awkwardness in his tone. “That your arse better be ready for a spanking for leaving him alone last night… uh, I believe,” 

Terrified yet greatly amused by that statement, Shouyou began to wheeze. Tadashi covered his mouth to hide his expression - Shouyou wasn’t sure if it was out of the same amusement Shouyou was feeling or from shock, either option made sense. Koushi was a prankster after all who gets a kick out of humiliation. Devilishly fiendish, that’s what he was.

“A-anyhow, we should get to work, land is coming upon us and we need to get this ship in without a hitch. Shouyou, you can help out with the crew to keep the foresail tight. Yuu mentioned the wind was strong ‘nd we don’t wanna be blow into a cliff.” Asahi said in a gentle tone. Even though he stood tall, he had a demeanor that wobbled with uncertainty. That reflected in how he spoke: Deep yet gently with an occasional stutter. He was almost the polar opposite of how Shouyou saw Yuu. It truly showcased that size did not matter in matters of confidence. 

After that was said, Tadashi and Asahi dispersed to different sections of the ship where groups of the crew already stood ready with rigging in hand. Shouyou joined the group of four men which were gathered at the rigging of the foresail. They all chatted amongst each other, jabbing and jesting as they heaved the thick rope through the pulleys. Shouyou was handed the end of the rope as the foursome pulled the rope tighter. Once the sail was tight to the first man's standard, everyone hardened their positions and readjusted their grip. For now, all they had to do was stand sturdy and ensure the sails stayed tight. 

The group started jabbering again, which Shouyou couldn’t quite jump into. Not because he didn’t want to socialise, he could not comprehend what they were going on about. So much jargon that Shouyou had never heard of was being thrown around that Shouyou was close to renouncing himself as a language expert. It was honestly impressive how different one language could be spoken in different environments. 

As Shouyou further thought about linguistics, his eyes strayed and wondered toward the incoming land. The island they were sailing toward was much larger than what Shouyou expected, but it’wasn’t immense. The shore line was filled with greenery and luscious trees, it didn't appear to be inhabited, but as they sailed closer, Shouyou noticed that the gap they were sailing into had a long rope stretched across it. On each side was a person - Shouyou assumed they were gatekeepers - who were dressed in an inconspicuous way. 

A loud Yuu-sounding bellow came from the crow’s nest, to which the fellows on the rock reacted to. One simply let the rope fall while the other yelled back. The voice of the person screaming back had a familiar twinge that Shouyou couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

As they sailed closer, the moderate sized gap appeared to shrink. Shouyou wasn’t sure how this enormous behemoth of a ship was supposed to squeeze into the ever minimizing gap. They grew closer and closer to the pillars, making Shouyou’s teeth chirn in nervousness. “There’s no way we are fitting through that gap.” Shouyou mumbled to himself, mouth agape. 

The man in front of him turned around, bemused. “Just trust the system we got goin’, kid.” He chuckled as he tightened his grip on the rope. “We made this here gap as tight as possible, so navy ships and their clunky sailin’ couldn’t get anywhere near this here place with a five-fifty mile pole.”

Shouyou listened with interest - the ingenuity of the pirates was very admirable and impressively striking. As they teetered forward, the figure that was yelling at Yuu became more and more clear. It was a woman with a fierce expression who stood proud on the rock while bellowing back and forth with Yuu. The likeness to someone Shouyou knew was starting to itch in Shouyou’s head, where did he recognise that attitude from?

“Oi Sis! Don’t wake the cats, you noisy fishwife.” Ryuu roared from behind. 

“Shut up you bald, sea pig! I’ll beat your arse once you dock.” She retorted in scorn. She then bit her thumb and slid off the tall rock unceremoniously. Once she was down, she disappeared into the greenery. 

“That’s what it was.” Shouyou thought to himself. He knew he recognised that tone. Both apples from the same tree Shouyou supposed. Both her and Ryuu had a similar crassness to their speaking which made their siblinghood quite obvious. 

Throughout the sibling squablelry, the nail biting squeeze had passed, landing the ship into an unexpectedly large cove. The sides of the cove were filled to the brim with stores, trading posts and bars which loud grumbles of laughter and overall rowdiness rang from. The shoreline was fitted with a rather precarious looking boardwalk that led to a dock where three smaller ships were already stationed. The ship was drifting to the empty spot which was exactly straight ahead. “How convenient.” Shouyou thought.

As they continued to decelerate towards the dock, Shouyou heard a loud splash to the left of him. He swiftly looked back, a tad confused, until he heard Yuu whoop from up in the Crow’s nest. “Ryuu must have jumped overboard. “

His speculation was confirmed when Yuu hooted: “Ryuu you mad bastard! Do ya wanna get kicked by yar sis so bad?” A loud wave of murmurs and chuckles erupted from the deck as more of the crew abandoned their duties and threw themselves overboard. 

Shouyou was incredibly confused, wouldn’t the ropes just pull free if everyone let go at once? His question was answered when the pirate infront of him turned around. “Kid, just tie the rope to the cleat over ‘ere. Don’t worry about the tightness, jus’ make sure it won’t spring loose for the next crew.” He shot out quickly before diving head first into the water. 

As tempting as it was to jump into the nice, cool water on a sunny day, the Captain’s words had to stop him from having fun. So he tied the rope and headed toward the cabin. Even when the Captain isn’t near, he somehow never ceases to get on Shouyou’s nerves, and in this case, Shouyou can’t even glare at the pompous twat. Shouyou huffed as he dragged himself through the cafeteria and down the stairs to the medical cabin. 

But before he reached the door, he heard hushed yelling from the Captain. “You can’t avoid him forever. He-” Shouyou’s first instinct was to hide. He didn’t understand why and he didn’t have the energy to contemplate it before he silently obscured himself beside the door frame.

“I KNOW!” Koushi practically yelled in reply. He breathed in, and began again, still with the distraught twinge to his voice. “I- I know Tobio. I know he’ll be better off with her, that’s why I pushed him away. I-,” He sniffled. “Tobio, I don’t know what to do. They’re having a baby for god’s sake.” 

As a gentle hush was faintly heard from the other room, Shouyou connected the dots. Koushi was probably inlove with that Daichi fellow, but it appeared to be one-sided, was the theory Shouyou hypothesised. Shouyou could be in the completely opposite field of actuality, but it made sense with how he reacted to the mention of Daichi. 

Loud footsteps approached from the otherside of the wall, and before Shouyou knew it, he was faced once again by the Captain. “Urchin, didn’t ‘ey tell ya it’s rude to eavesdrop?” He sneered. For once the snideness from the Captain was justified, because, indeed, eavesdropping was rude.

Although Shouyou may agree with the statement, that wasn’t really his intent either. “I- I heard that you two were having a rather intensive conversation and I didn’t want to appear rude… Apologies.” Shouyou muttered.

The Captain stood with a silent glare menacing on his face before opening his vile mouth to degrade Shouyou. “ ‘S not me you should be apologising to, you dumb gi-”

The Captain was cut off by a loud smack to the back of the head. The assailant stood behind the Captain with a forced grin. “What did I say about bullying sweet, innocent Shouyou, huh?” Koushi asked rhetorically. The Captain shot an annoyed yet worried look over to Koushi. Koushi huffed in defeat. “Well Shouyou since you heard everything, you better come through here so I can explain a little better. You’ll probably catch wind of this someway or another, so I would prefer if it came from me.” He said as he walked through the doorway. 

Shouyou and the Captain followed. Once they were both in the room, Koushi pushed them to sit on the bed. He breathed in to steady his breath. “A long time ago, in a kingdom far far away-” Koushi stopped when the Captain let out an exaggerated sigh. 

“Koushi, I know you are deflecting.” The Captain sighed.

“Fine. It’s just- You know how hard it is to speak about something you regret. Right, Tobio?” Koushi asked. The Captain just glared at Koushi, which made Koushi’s hands go up in defence. “Alright, alright. There was once a strapping young captain, with beautiful black hair. Unlike our fellow Tobio here, he was a benevolent and caring captain who sailed the seven seas to better his crew, not enrich himself. One day, as a witch hunt grew out of control in a seaside town, the ship the Karasuno, was coincidentally sailing by as they saw the whole place light a flame. As a last attempt to ward off the evil in the town, the people tied up a young lad with an odd hair colour and a different type of manliness, and threw him into the sea. The waves thrashed me around, dipping me up and down, granting me small mercies of air until I was fished out. That’s when I met him, Daichi, the previous captain of this gloriously damned ship. Little Kageyama was nothing but a cabin boy at that point. Where did that cute young man go? Now all I see is a grumpy, old man-”

“Hey, watch it.” The Captain grumped as Shouyou giggled at their childish interactions. The Captain just rolled his eyes then gestured for Koushi to continue. 

“I- I’m not the type of boy that people respect around those parts. I am seen as womanly, an abomination of man. A seductress in disguise is what they yelled at me as they watched me drown, but on that ship… With him, I was seen as the best man I could be. No longer shunned for mere enjoyment of cooking; or talking too much; or for caring; or for liking growing gardens or… another man,” He sighed and leaned against the kitchen table top. “He saw who I was before I even knew who I was, and that fear overtook me… The fear of the unknown, the fear of being thrown away again for being a blasphemy, a witch, a heathen, a lecherer… He couldn’t wait for me forever, I knew that, which is why him finally settling down is a good thing… Right?” 

The question was released that no one knew the answer to. Was it right? Shouyou had no clue. His experience would only affirm Koushi’s view, even though Shouyou knew, deep down, that it wasn’t the right route to travel. Koushi had set himself up to a lifetime of envy and yearning to something he could have had. Deep regret was what Shouyou recognised in him. The deepest, most hollow regret Shouyou had ever seen. He turned to his right to look to the Captain for answers, be he was also listless. 

The heavy atmosphere drifted through the room, hanging like fog in Shouyou’s lungs. The intense sense of understanding and empathy was almost too much, causing the air to feel dry and stagnant. Shouyou wanted to help, but all seemed hopeless.

“Stop frowning youngsters, I’ve come to terms with what I've done during this voyage. No need to grow old because of me.” Koushi chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “We should get Shouyou changed, then head out anyhow. Can’t keep the welcome back entourage waiting.” With that, Koushi shoved himself from his leaning position and grabbed the stack of clothes on the end of the bed. He chucked them at Shouyou. “Here you go. I love this island but some of the men here are a little desperate, so it is better to lay low. I have prepared a vest, a pair of trousers, a bandana and a fresh pair of socks. Although, I have no clue how big they’ll be on you, we have to try.” 

Shouyou nodded then sat still, waiting for the two onlookers to leave. When he realised they weren’t in any motions to leave, Shouyou grew incredibly self conscious. “Do you need help with that shrimp?” The Captain asked mockingly. Shouyou glared at him, because he fully well knew why Shouyou was not undressing. “Ah forgot about your whole modesty thing. Honestly smout, you aren’t that attractive. Get on wit-”

The Captain was backhanded again with a satisfying slap. “Sorry Shouyou, I forgot about privacy a while ago. It’s something you throw out the window when you live with forty-odd men on a boat.” Koushi explained.

“No, it’s quite alright. I should get used to this too, I suppose.” Shouyou muttered shyly. “I’ll do it right now,” Shouyou proclaimed with a boost of new confidence. He grabbed the hem of his white, navy standard shirt, then pulled it over his head. He tried to anyway. 

As Shouyou pulled up his shirt, it got stuck in his thick, orange locks which had become even denser due to the sea salt. He tried to wriggle and jiggle, but in the end he was stuck with his arms caught in the fabric straight next to his head. Due to the ache slowly building in his arms, he flopped down in defeat. He sighed, defeated, until a pair of hands were lifting Shouyou back up into an upright position. 

“You’re being a real hand-full today. ‘thought you’d be more self sufficient you urchin.” The Captain grumbled as he gingerly pulled the shirt around his head. Shouyou could tell that the Captain was being cautious by the way he methodically pulled the fabric over his head, section by section, to ensure nothing catched. The bastard was sure full of surprises today.

Once the shirt was over Shouyou’s head, the Captain continued to dress Shouyou with an earnest intensity. He gently shrugged the new top over Shouyou’s head, chuckling once it was on. Presumably he was laughing at the fact Shouyou drowned in the vest, but Shouyou paid no mind and rolled his eyes. 

Next were the trousers, which they did give him privacy for, but once they were on, it was back to the Captain playing dress-up. The Captain wasn’t content with how the plain white vest sat - which was evident by how he frowned at it as if it was the devil himself. “You’re so scrawny. These ‘re the clothes I wore when I was half your age.” The Captain sighed hopelessly with a hint of exasperation. It wasn’t Shouyou’s fault he was so short though - his bastard of a father was also a smout compared to the Captain who appeared to stem from giants. The Captain threw one final glare before turning to Koushi who was intently watching the whole scene play out from the Kitchen counter. “Koushi, grab a belt from my room will ya?” He asked, Koushi simply smiled and walked out of the room. 

The atmosphere shifted a little when Koushi left the room - the Captain’s already gentle ministrations became even softer as he tried to rearrange Shouyou’s hair. “‘S a shame we need to hide it. ‘Ts the only bearable thing to look at on your tiny body.” The Captain, hopefully, teased as he ran his fingers through Shouyou’s untamable locks. His warm, calloused fingers ran over his scalp in a circular motion, following the curls and waves in the loose part of Shouyou’s hair. They continued their journey down his head, around his ear to the back of his head, finally reaching the rat-tail his father forced him to grow out. The Captain was almost mesmerised by Shouyou’s hair, which Shouyou was bizarrely alright with.

The whole ordeal -like most things with the Captain - felt oddly intimate. His closeness and lack of understanding of personal boundaries, really threw Shouyou off. He was used to modest distance and appropriate etiquette, but out here, with the Captain, all of those societal walls were never resurrected in the first place. Shouyou wanted to pin it all on the pirate way, but something about this felt very much like the Captain. He was unique in many ways, all of which made him an annoying, interesting bastard. 

The Captain reached beside him to grab a black bandana which had a murder of small orange crows embroidered on it. The headpiece was so simple, yet so skillfully made, Shouyou wasn’t sure if he deserved to have it placed on his head. The material was slowly wrapped around Shouyou’s head, starting with his forehead. Then the band was wrapped around the back of his head, capturing all the loose hanging hair and the bulk of the nest Shouyou had higher up. 

“Now, ya just need the belt and you’ll look just dandy.” The Captain said as he tucked in one last hair into the bandana. 

On queue, Koushi came hopping down the stairs with the belt jingling in his hand. “Here ya go! One belt for our dearest Shouyou, whom we’ve only known for one day but would kill for.” Koushi sang jovially. “Hmmm, looks like Tobio has fixed you up real good, although the trousers are on the loose end.”

The Captain stood up and grabbed the belt from Koushi’s hands. “That’s what the belt’s for.” He mumbled. “Stand up urchin, I need to sort out that vest of yours. You look like you are drowning in it.” With a huff, Shouyou stood up. The Captain went straight to his task; he guided the belt around the belt loops sewn in the trousers; tightened the belt and buckled it up; then tucked the vest into the secured belt. “You’re lookin’ more presentable now. I can finally burn the damned uniform too.” The Captain announced, proud with himself. 

The vest was still incredibly baggy, but Shouyou decided to just go with it. If the Captain wasn’t hurling snide remarks, it must be adequate at least. The Captain threw Shouyou’s old clothes in a satchel, while Koushi finished clearing away one last pan that was out.

With all of that sorted, they all headed out of the lower deck, up the stairs and to the upper deck. Shouyou was surprised to see that the ship had already been fully tied up and was stationed at the port. When had that happened and how? All the crew members had jumped overboard, leaving the pilot and some stragglers on ship. 

Shouyou felt a sudden pain between his eyebrows. “Oi, nitwit. Don’t think too hard.” The Captain had flicked him and without holding back as well. Shouyou supposed it was just another mild ache he could persevere through since he’s been battered about to no end over these past few months. “The crew that usually jump overboard also grab ropes that help guide the ship in. Once they get on land, they help tie it up. It’s really not that har-” 

The second slap of the day was awarded to the Captain by Koushi. Koushi smiled and let out a pleasant hum as he walked on. He then turned to Shouyou who was awkwardly ambling between Koushi’s fast pace and the Captain’s recovering stagger. Koushi grabbed Shouyou’s arm and linked it with his own. “We’ll just walk down this ramp and I’ll introduce ya to everyone. Let mister grump behind us come to us on his own time.”

Shouyou giggled at the remark, as they headed to the ramp. It had been set up near the front of the ship over the guard rail. The ramp mouthed out to a floating dock which was attached to the long walkway along the whole shoreline. At the end of the dock, a whole cluster of people were gathered. Loud yells and guffaw erupted from the hord, some which were familiar - Ryuu and Yuu - and some new. 

As Koushi and Shouyou walked closer, Shouyou could recognise the lady from earlier: Ryuu’s sister. Of course, Ryuu and Yuu were both there, both talking to a bunch of the other’s at the same time. Ryuu was standing next to a beautiful black haired woman, while animatedly talking to a mid-height dirty-blond man who was beside a close shaven man. On the other hand, Yuu was bellowing to an unfortunate soul with dark hair, while he punched Asahi in the shoulder everytime he laughed. On the sidelines stood the tall scary pilot with Tadashi having a chuckle. It looked to be a jolly old bunch - Shouyou noted.

“Koushi, Shrimp! O’er ‘ere!” Yuu yelled, causing some of the onlookers to wince. He waved animatedly at the two arrivals. “Where’s the Capt’n?” Yuu inquired.

Koushi smiled. “I had to remind him of his manners, he’s right behind us th-”

“Ah! There’s the man of the ‘our!” Yuu yelled as the Captain sauntered down the plank. Shouyou thought that maybe the Captain purposefully fell behind so he could make a grander entrance. He wouldn’t put it past him, especially when he was walking over with a devious smirk on his face. He had something planned, but Shouyou couldn’t for the life of him figure out what or why even. Maybe, the why was more obvious, but that did not detract from the mild flurry of dread that built up in Shouyou’s stomach.

“Hello everyone, what are y’all up to?” The Captain asked while side-eyeing Shouyou. That confirmed Shouyou’s suspicions and he wasn’t happy about it. 

“We’re waitin’ for you… we were anyway. Now we head to the pub.” Yuu enthused. “Who’s WITH ME!” 

A unanimous cheer erupted from the crowd as they all followed Yuu and Ryuu who ran ahead. Although it had only turned midday, Shouyou could agree with the rest of them - he needed a pint to cool off. 

The rumbustious group walked to the boardwalk which was occupied by a small market along the edges. A cacophony of ‘penny a pound’, and other convincing sales pitches seamlessly slithered into the atmosphere. The raggedy yet quaint shop fronts with the eclectic trinkets, it’s all one would imagine from a pirate safe haven. Although, it was a lot more peaceful than what Shouyou had been led to believe. He knew that what he had been told prior about the pirates had been a… little biased to say the least, but every coincidental rebuttal made Shouyou smile a tad wider. 

They strolled down the path for a little longer before turning into a bar called “The Crow’s Eye”. It was a rather shoddy looking place from the outside; the glazed windows were cracked; the sign was worn and holding onto the stand for dear life; there were parts of the wall that had almost completely crumbled away. Shouyou felt a little hesitant to walk in.

All of that changed when Yuu opened the door. Beautiful colours erupted inside the little tavern, dancing their way to Shouyou’s curious eyes. Shouyou stepped in to see the whole interior decorated with bewitchingly colourful shards. There was glass, chrystal, rock, and many unnamable wonders refracting light all over the space. The tables - of which there was a mere handful - were professionally polished, masterpieces in their own right. Everything in this little microcosm contradicted its exterior. 

Everyone sat down at the table furthest to the back, almost as if routine. Shouyou squeezed himself at the end of the table next to Koushi, just to ensure he was with someone he knew well enough. The volume of the chatting which had died down on the walk down, had quickly resurrected itself into a more boisterous version of itself. Shouyou couldn’t quite follow along, so he sat there, laughing when laughing was needed. It was only natural for him to feel left out. He had only just arrived, but it still felt like a stab to the gut for Shouyou. Like he was again a puzzle piece that did not quite fit. 

That was until he heard a familiar voice bellow from behind him. “Oh God, if it isn’t little ginger! What ‘re you doin’ here?” Shouyou instantly turned around to confirm if his suspicions were correct.

“Koutarou?” Shouyou sat in a gleeful stupor, he hadn’t seen him in ages! He had been told that he had decided to retire, but here of all places? What a delightful coincidence Shouyou mused to himself.

“Aye, it’s me. Come give me a hug, will ya!” Koutarou said with the biggest grin plastered on his face. Shouyou didn’t need to be told twice as he ran into his old friend’ arms. “Keiji had told me you’d been sent off, but I’ll ask again how you ended up ‘ere?” Koutarou mused, although there was a hint of concern laced in his voice.

“Cousin Keiji is here too?” Shouyou asked, he honestly did not want to revise the tale, he would much rather see his -not actual- cousin. Cousin Keiji was the son of a nobleman Shouyou’s father was close to. To create a stronger alliance, they pushed for their sons to work together, despite cousin Keiji being a few years older than him. Which is why it was incredibly surprising to hear that cousin Keji was here of all places.

“Haven’t seen ya in years and the first person you’re after is Keiji, ya hurt me ginger.” Koutarou wobbled in a faux-sad voice. Shouyou looked at him with a pout, pretending to be hurt by his accusations. “I’m just kidding ya. He’s out back cookin’.” Shouyou furrowed his brow in confusion. Cousin Keiji, cooking? What was going on? “I can see what y’er thinking. Keiji and I run this bar ya see, after we fled town. Keiji did all the shiny decoratin’ ‘n stuff. I do most of the heavy liftin’. Honestly we’re livin’ our best lives.” Then Koutarou’s voice dipped down into a whisper. “No one knows our backgrounds ‘ere, they think we got away from the hustle and bustle from town.”

A whole storm of confusion hit Shouyou. He had never heard of this - he was told that cousin Keiji went out on a long expedition to explore more new land. How did he and Koutarou end up owning a bar together on the pirate islands. Shouyou thought about it for a second. He was probably fed that story to cover up some honour that cousin Keiji’s father felt. To prevent rumours and such. Shouyou could also guess why they were lying about their identities, but once again, Shouyou had never heard of this plan. And lastly, “why was he with Koutarou?” 

“Ginger, yer mouth still ain’t under control, huh?” Koutarou chuckled. Shouyou tried to interject, embarrassed at the rude slip up. “Don’t worry y’erself, Keiji and I were on a sailing trip ya see? We went out fishin’ and such. One day we landed up on that pirate tradin’ island and we stayed the night. So that night he just came to me all like: “Oh strong and courageous Koutarou. I wish to flee from our civilised town and start anew. Would you join me to be my protector? I need you, you beautiful hunk,” Koutarou started making kissing sounds and squishing poor Shouyou in his arms. The table - which previously were talking amongst themselves - had tuned in when Koutarou did that awful cousin Keiji impression and were laughing heartily at the current predicament. That was until cousin Keiji came walking through the small door in the corner.

A deathly silence had been dictated onto the room, and Shouyou could not figure out why. Cousin Keiji was such a kind soul. Although, at the moment, he looked exasperated and let out a deep sigh. “Honestly Kou, if it’s going to be this rowdy every time the Karasuno comes back, I’ll- Shouyou? What are you doing here?” Shouyou watched as his deadpan, slightly annoyed expression morphed into one of great concern. 

As cold and collected cousin Keiji looked, he had the sweetest of personalities. Whenever Shouyou felt down when he was just a tot, cousin Keiji would reveal his inner kindness. His cold and collected eyes struck fear into the hearts of many, which did tend to give him a rather frightful reputation. To most people, he appeared as a rational, calculating, and quiet person, which he mainly was. However, there was always a glimmer of light that shone through his dark eyes that Shouyou could never ignore. He cared for Shouyou when his paternal situations were not in the best of places, which is why Shouyou understood cousin Keiji’s concern. “How did a gentry’s spawn land up all the way on an unknown island” is how most people would have asked, and Shouyou was quite sure of himself that cousin Keiji was asking himself that, that very instant. 

As Shouyou was about to give a rather choppy and uncertain explanation, the Captain - of all people- interjected. “Caught this urchin floating in the sea, thought he would make a good cabin boy. You know him?” The Captain asked, very evidently confused - Shouyou noted. 

Koutarou quickly took the lead of this conversation. Probably to ensure their secret stayed intact. “Our boy, Shouyou here, was the son of a gentleman in our seaside town - The Hinata family, I believe. He used to sneak down to the docks and cause havoc down there. I always kept an eye on him, along with Keiji here.” Koutarou half-fibbed. Shouyou was a tad embarrassed by his past description, he was always a troublemaker afterall - his father always made sure he knew so.

“Why does he call Keiji, 'Cousin Keiji' then?” The Captain asked pointedly. Why was the bastard being perceptive now of all times. Luckily Koutarou was a - surprisingly - quick thinker. 

“You know kids, when they get used to callin’ people all fancy like, it sticks. Keiji is closer in age to Shouyou, ya see.” Koutarou spat out confidently. Shouyou wasn’t sure the Captain would believe that statement, he was quite observant from what Shouyou saw. Although not being from an aristocracy, he might not know their naming customs. 

Fortunately, it appeared the Captain laid it to rest. He simply huffed, but kept a wary eye on Shouyou. The Captain -mercifully - took the easy route, because Shouyou had no idea how anyone else would react. The only reason Shouyou was remotely accepted was because he was on his lonesome, and what a lot of people looked to have been handed off by his parents. He was an unwanted, spoiled gentry brat who at his worst would stab someone on accident. Koutarou and Keiji however had the potential to be so many things; Koutarou was a tall buff bloke who looked down right feral at moments with his unusual bi-coloured hair that he managed to slick into spikes; while cousin Keiji was collected, a piercing gaze ready to strike; both had potential to ruin this whole island and report back to the navy, the army, or even the crown. The pirates had valid reasons to suspect them. 

After that quick exchange, Shouyou was hefted onto Koutarou’s shoulders like a freshly hunted deer. That quickly took away any of the tension that had built up in Shouyou’s system. It was quickly flushed out by the sudden blood rush to the head, caused by the embarrassment of having his arse in the air and being carried, along with the fact his head was hanging down from Koutarou’s wide shoulder. The banter continued as the drinks were brought in by cousin Keiji, who was being quite quiet. 

The Captain, too, was unusually quiet. From what Shouyou knew of him, he was a rather reserved man, although this was different. He was keeping an eye on Shouyou this time, and not just Shouyou, on Koutarou and cousin Keiji as well. Shouyou decided to brush it off, there was no harm done at this moment. Worst case, he would ask something again, but this time the crowd was roudier and drunker, therefore; he could be ignored.

The drinks were going down like water down a waterfall, and soon the alcoholic buzz filled the room, causing even the more uptight people to unleash their passionate side. One of such people was Ryuu’s wife, Kiyoko, who was quite reserved when Shouyou first saw her at the dock. Which is why it was very surprising to hear her divulge into some details about Ryuu, Shouyou never wanted to hear. “Ryuu loves it when I step on him. He practically worshipped me his whole life along with that punk, Yuu over there. Even now, he st-” She was silenced by Ryuu who clearly felt incredibly humiliated, but apparently that’s how he liked it Shouyou heard Koushi mumble. Ryuu’s sister just laughed her head off. Poor, old, sod. 

The evening went on with little stories of everyone’s travels, from their first time pumping into a navy ship, to that one time the Karasuno almost was knocked over by a wave higher than the neck of the Loch Ness monster. Shouyou also learned the names of the unknown faces he saw earlier; Hisashi, a dirty blond bloke who jokingly added to the snide remarks toward the poor bastard Ryuu; Kazuhito, who was a moderately buff man with close-shaven hair, how he achieved that - Shouyou didn't know ;the rather stiff looking fellow called Chikara, who if you ever got injured knew how to get you back on your feet. 

The group was an eclectic bunch, but Shouyou expected no less and loved the group for it. They all played off each other - giving each other playful nudges but knew when to stop. Comforting to watch and to listen to - it brought a smile to Shouyou’s face.

By the time Keiji came around the corner, threatening everyone to leave before they emptied all of their boose supplies, it had turned into nightfall. 

The boardwalk was teeming with life. Pirates were dancing among each other, all in the jolly haze of intoxication. The lights from the bars and taverns reflected on the bayfront creating a beautiful dreamlike reflection of the surrounding area. The island felt alive and thriving, unlike any town or manor Shouyou was ever forced to visit. The happiness and indulgence could be smelt from miles away, and to Shouyou it was all so wondrous.

The group split into people who headed to their own house, and the people who would be staying in a form of accommodation, and apparently, Shouyou and the Captain were under that umbrella. The Captain, Shouyou, Koushi, Ryuu, and Kiyoko hobbled drunkenly over to an inn called the “Goddess’ inn.” - the name of which Shouyou noted to ask about later. The front of the inn was incredibly pristine and painted in an off white colour, decorated by long flower pots under the window sill. The woodwork on the building was a dark, varnished wood, giving it a sleek finish. 

They got in and were immediately handed over three sets of keys. The lady at the desk looked pointedly at Shouyou who had the Captain hung off his arm. “Missus Kiyoko, I wasn’t informed that there would be anoth’r yen.” 

Kiyoko snapped her head around and stared at the duo, before answering a vague: “They’ll sort it out.” Shouyou was too drunk to contemplate what she even meant.

A pair of keys were flung at Shouyou which had the number ‘09’ engraved. Shouyou assumed it was the room number and dragged the borderline dead corpse of the Captain with him. How Shouyou ended up with the responsibility of the Captain - Shouyou could not recall, but all he knew was: he was dead tired. 

He got to the door with the number nine of it, then proceeded to fumble around with the keys for a few minutes. “Who on God’s green earth gives a pished person key’s?” Shouyou vented to himself, until he finally opened the door. The room surprised him, it was very similar to the Captain’s quarters, which was quite bizarre. Shouyou didn’t have the time to think twice about it though, because his arm was dying due to a certain bastard deciding to get drunk off his arse while analysing everyone’s moves. That absolute dumbarse. With that, Shouyou kicked the door shut.

With a thud, the Captain landed in the bed. Shouyou got to work on his boots and jacket, throwing them on the ground in a tired rush. Why does this bastard wear so many clothes? Finally, he had removed the whole outer layer, now it just left him to chuck off the belt and bandana and he was good to go he supposed. 

Shouyou just wanted to back into that warm stupor he was in that morning. When he felt enveloped in softness as he drifted in and out of the world of dreams. Where reality did not hit him. The place of drunken bliss that he would happily take advantage of if he had the opportunity. 

So, he did. He hoped over the bastard and pulled up the quilt, sinking into the mattress. He let the cinnamon and lemon spices take him away into a dream. A land of unthinking and pleasant numbness. Where all his troubles were a mere memory. He closed his eyes and drifted into that mellow lul of enchanted silence.

How Blissfull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random author thought: So the sea is always written as a "she", and boats purposely have tiddies on the front of them to calm down the sea.... The sea is sapphic confirmed.
> 
> I think Pirate Sir Kags would smell like lemon cinnamon... like, strong spices are quite common in the Caribbean and idk. He gives off cinnamon vibes is what I'm trying to say. Also, I wonder why Kageyama would know who Endymion is, aha... bet his previous mentor must have related to the story aha. 
> 
> Something about Noya calling Shouyou a shrimp even though Shouyou is taller than him feels so right. Idk... It's a headcanon that no one can take away from me. 
> 
> When I said !k o u c h i a n g s t! I meant it. 
> 
> Gotta have some heteroshreksuality in this world... unfortunately. Man, I'll be adding Yachi, my girl in this fic but can I just say beforehand... Poor Yachi can't get her girl (._.) Lowkey wanna make an OC just so Yachi can have a happy sapphic life on the pirate island.
> 
> And of course there's got to be alcoholism, it's a pirate island. Also the smell of indulgence if you know what I'm saying.
> 
> Also, if anyone's wondering why I keep making random ass 'obscure' references it's because the story is set mid/late-Elizabethan era which was also Shakespeare's era and the mid/high-renaissance (also mid-colonisation era which is not great to put it lightly). I could start linking sources and articles on the things I mention, if anyone's interested.  
> I personally love doing a little side reading about this era 'cause it's so wild. They believed in a whole bunch of crazy shid, I love it.


	5. A Letter from a Zealous Fellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Shouyou's first full day on the pirate island and the Captain has a few plans for him. A long day of reading confusing letters and confusing men awaits poor Shouyou.
> 
> (These are getting worse with every chapter)
> 
> warnings: Mention of vomiting, alcohol, and bad poetry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: the next update will be in two week rather than this week due to some personal matters 😔 hope you guys have a nice day!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who leaves Kudos/comments/bookmarks, it really makes my day <3 I'm at 48 kudos already, which is so awesome! So thank y'all again!  
> Also! Happy Hogmanay / happy new year to everyone! I hope y'all have a moderately funky year! I say moderately because 2020 has taught me not to gas up a year... we gotta be careful with 2021, let them roll in and find their treading. 
> 
> Also, also, sorry for not sticking to my own schedule... I suck with self-set deadlines... As most of us are (._.)  
> I'm also thinking about restarting my Tumblr after a few years of inactivity... If I do, I'll link it next ch.
> 
> EDIT: spelling mistakes and fixed some grammar... I'm my own beta and I'm not good at it.

A thunderous throbbing droned through the back of Shouyou’s head as the effects of last night’s alcohol gathered in the back of his throat. The pain drilled at his sinuses as a hefty reminder that relinquishing control to alcohol came with grave consequences. He felt worn and dry - his mouth tasting bitter, as if he had purged poison laced food earlier that morn.

As the dull throbbing continued, Shouyou kept his eyes screwed shut - if he opened them, he knew the sun would batter his eyes and worsen his pain. He had made that mistake before and had to retract back into the shadows as if he were a vampire. Shouyou occasionally learned from his mistakes. However, the other - more pressing - reason was that Shouyou was quite a lucid drinker and he fully knew the predicament he was in. 

The night prior, drunken Shouyou had succumbed to his sloth and decided it would be a grand idea if he just rested beside the Captain. Again. So there he lay; eyes clamped shut and the weight of the Captain to his side; ponderings racing through his head of how he could possibly get himself out of this situation. To the surprise of none, Shouyou could not think of one plan. His only option was just to lay there and accept his fate, hopefully the Captain would respond with some twisted form of compassion that Shouyou hoped that he possessed. 

As Shouyou laid there, he remembered that at the pub, the Captain appeared to be a little grouchier than usual. The Captain wasn’t vocal about expressing so, but Shouyou could sense that after seeing Koutarou and Cousin Keiji his mood had drastically soured. Shouyou hoped it was because the Captain was just being the Captain, however he was not naive enough to brush away the thought that the Captain may have seen through the lie. The bastard had a brain - contrary to what Shouyou believed - and with that came his sharpness that allowed him to become the captain of his ship. He had a way of seeing beyond what was initially presented to him, even if the other party prayed that he would not.

The Captain had wit about him and Shouyou hoped that he didn’t ask questions. 

Shouyou was mainly concerned because lying was not a gift Shouyou was blessed with. At least, that's what he had been told. Apparently, his body gave him away. He’d been told that he goes stiff and averts his eyes. Shouyou had been working on keeping eye-contact and finding ways of loosening his posture, but in the back of his mind, he knew the Captain would look straight through any attempt at deception. 

That fact was not greatly ideal, to say the least.

It would have been easier for Shouyou if he could be like most other avid drinkers and just black out. He would be having a much easier time currently, he wouldn’t be worrying about the Captain’s whereabouts or his intuition. He would have just opened his eyes with no qualm but that of a past-drunken migraine and the ignorant bliss of not being aware of the Captain. 

The fool he would still have been, but a naive fool to the bastardly knave, instead of a sober fool which he currently is. It seemed as though playing the fool was the lot Shouyou was given in life. His history was just a culmination of childish whimsicalness that bursted open, exposing a whole heap of misfortune on Shouyou’s end. Wholeheartedly, Shouyou knew that what he had would not end well, but he could've only hoped. Now, he stood the chance to redeem himself yet he laid in bed with a practical stranger, the mystical Captain once more. 

A sudden, gentle touch ceased any further thought, ponder, or whim. “A finger?” Shouyou thought, a tad perturbed, “The Captain’s finger?”. Shouyou was rather rattled but didn’t want to raise awareness to his wakefulness, so he held tight and kept his clamped shut. That being said, the Captain seemed on a mission to make it as difficult as possible for Shouyou to keep a calm, restful demeanor. 

Like a ship, the calloused finger softly sailed across the expanse of Shouyou’s cheek. It travelled to Shouyou’s nose, weaving between the light freckles that were scattered across his face as it glided to its destination. With no distinct route, it continued down the bridge of Shouyou’s nose at an almost ticklish pace. At this point, Shouyou was determined not to crack a grin - he was curious about where this sudden skinship would go. 

The finger rested on the peak of Shouyou’s nose, before slowly gliding down to Shouyou’s lips, gingerly drifting across the upper lip. Shouyou’s brain went into a frenzy. What was that lunatic doing? To a person who is supposedly unconscious no less. Shouyou knew that his accusations of goatishness toward the Captain yestermorn, were not mere projective feelings. 

Shouyou unexpectedly felt a hard flick to his forehead. Had he been discovered? Shouyou’s eyes shot open as he became blinded by the morning sunlight, then by the cold blue eyes that were silently chiding him. “Oi Urchin, if yer gonna feign sleep, at least keep your eyes closed naturally. You look like a brat who doesn’t want to rise. Got the soft cheeks for it too.” The Captain mischievously grumbled in a sleep-laced jibe. He then tapped Shouyou’s lips once more. “‘N you still don’t ‘ave that mumblin’ under control. What’ya gonna do when you actually bed someone smout?” 

An unimpressed huff escaped Shouyou’s nose - of course he had to go there. That goatish oaf has naught else on his mind anyhow. Shouyou didn’t have a good retort ready to go, but he knew he had to respond somehow. Even if it condemned him to be the fool in the situation, which he already was - so no losses could be counted for. “Well… Y-you were the one who touched m-my…” Shouyou dared not finish, what was he trying to achieve with that line of logic?

The Captain lifted a brow in challenge “Hmm, what was that urchin?” He teased while gently rubbing Shouyou’s lower lip, as if to taunt Shouyou. A taunt that Shouyou had no idea how to reply to. 

Although, if he was chastising Shouyou for being a child, he easily could retaliate at that level. Would that help the situation? Shouyou knew that it would probably backfire, but it was tempting. However, if he was being treated as a babe, who was he to prove the contrary? The Captain was all sneers and sniggers when it came to anything Shouyou did. Might as well go down with the ship, since Shouyou’s dignity has long been thrown overboard. 

“No witty comebacks, urchin?” The Captain said, still with a smug sneer plastered on his face. Shouyou still laid in silence, trying to muster up any form of quip at this point. As if being able to sense Shouyou’s struggle, the Captain took the opportunity to flick Shouyou’s forehead again. Although, Shouyou did notice it was much lighter than it was the first time.

That’s when the words hit Shouyou. He scrunched his face into a poor-man’s mimic of the Captain’s usual scorn, then spoke with a cheeky lilt to his voice: “Seems the Captain can’t keep his goatish hands off of the queen-lover in his bed. Might have to report you for fraternising with the enemy,”. He knew that was a poor quip, but it was miles better than letting the Captain hold all the ground. An inch is all Shouyou needed.

Once again, the Captain reacted in an odd way. He stayed still with analytic eyes pinned on Shouyou, while an intense battle between a deep scowl and a wobbling smile played out of his visage. What won was a confused concoction of the two that looked borderline demented. It sent a frigid shiver down Shouyou’s poor spine. Although, it did leave Shouyou wondering: Why did the Captain react in such a way every time Shouyou _tried_ to retort to his statement? His reactions were that of one who was proud, and Shouyou could not fathom why. Although, Shouyou gave up on asking why about the Captain ever since he started thinking about him. He was such an enigmatic man, yet so simple. Unless it came to his motives for his mischievous goading, Shouyou had truly no clue why he was so teasing, which appeared to have worsened that morning. 

Shouyou just let out a gentle huff as the pair laid in bed, eye to eye. The Captain was a handsome man, but that scowl he wore was sure to age him as a tortoise. If that didn’t do the trick, the chaotic life of a pirate would surely do the trick. “However,” Shouyou thought to himself, “Mother always told me: ‘There’s beauty in age’.”

“I don’t know what’s going on in your noggin’ but I ain’t _that_ old, you urchin.” The Captain lowered with a slight chuckle to his voice. Shouyou’s eyes went wide open, and his body stiffened with embarrassment. Will he ever stop mumbling his thoughts? It appeared to be getting worse. 

A hand settled on Shouyou’s cheek, thumb soothingly drawing across Shouyou’s cheekbone. “It’s alright, no need to shit y’erself over it.” He assured softly, although his scowl wasn’t reflective of his emotion. Maybe that’s what Shouyou couldn’t quite comprehend just yet - the Captain’s peculiar way of expressing himself. His words and actions clashed, yet in some way or another they worked together. He could be so horrid one moment, and the next he was comforting and soft, yet the confused frown would still remain. The man was one of verbal expression and action, not one of facial emotion, which was the type that Shouyou had a little bit of a harder time to grasp, but if he stayed with the Captain, he would figure him out. 

The soft ministrations halted on Shouyou’s cheek and were replaced by a final flick to the forehead. “A’right, time to get up urchin. We’ve got to get some food down our throats and you’ve got some reading to do.” He gruffed as he sat up, stretching his arms and torso to get the morning cramps out of his system. Shouyou had to try his hardest not to stare again, yestermorn was an event he has learned from. 

The Captain, once stretched, sat still in the bed, staring at Shouyou. Shouyou was confused. “Urchin, I need to get through.” He simply stated, which made Shouyou feel more of the fool. Of course, how did Shouyou not realise? So he hurriedly fumbled off the bed, not realising how cool the ground would be. With a squeak, he bumped into the Captain who stood beside the bed. “The nights get real cold here but not that cold. Didn’t think I would hear a noble child squawk.” He snorted as he pushed Shouyou to sit on the bed once more.

Shouyou sat upright, and watched the Captain as he went about his business. First thing he did was begrudgingly pick up the clothes Shouyou had stripped him out of, then went over to his wardrobe which was to the left of the bed. Shouyou noted that the room was set up in an almost opposite manner of the Captain’s quarters; the bed was set up in the right corner of the room, opposite wall to the door; the two lining walls were once again crowded with shelves and wardrobes; and in the corner next to the door was a messy desk with a map and a small chest on top of it. The room itself was a lot narrower, but felt more lived in than the quarters. Probably because there was a more distinct layer of clutter filling all of the shelves. 

The clutter did leave Shouyou a little surprised now that he thought about it - the Captain seemed almost anal about order and gave off the impression that he would be very strict with cleanliness, yet his inn room appeared to display the contrary. That left Shouyou with another question. “Captain?” Shouyou asked. the Captain merely replied with a hum. “Uh, how come this inn room is yours? Uh, I mean. It’s an inn, and I thought you could only vacate a room temporarily…” Shouyou paused briefly, reflecting on the relevancy of the question. The Captain doesn’t appear to be the type of person to tolerate nosyness. Ah, Shouyou shouldn’t have even asked. “Nev-”

“Let me answer you smout, I can smell your thought process from a mile away.” The Captain huffed as he pulled out a white shirt from the wardrobe. “Kiyoko, Ryuu’s wife, owns this here inn and the local gambling bar five houses down. She so kindly gifted Koushi and I these rooms a while back. We repay her by keeping that nitwit Ryuu on a tight leash while we are out on sea.” He explained as he sauntered back to the bed. He threw the shirt he was holding straight at Shouyou’s face. Shouyou sat confused with the clothing draped over his face, wondering why the Captain decided to do that. “Your shirt is mankey. Ya smell like a proper street urchin.” 

Still a little dazed, Shouyou unruffled the shirt and placed it on his lap. He then grabbed the edges of his previous vest before feeling a now familiar pair of hands pry them off. “No need for repeats, I’ll help get yer vest off.” The Captain huffed as he gently tugged said clothing article over Shouyou’s head. The familiar intimacy Shouyou felt as the Captain did so, was delightfully strange. He let himself become a dress-up doll once more, as the Captain guided him to stand up. 

The cooler air of the room hit him once Shouyou’s chest was exposed. Naturally, a shiver ran down his spine, however the Captain’s reaction - moreover the fact he had a reaction in the first place - had Shouyou intrigued. The Captain’s eyebrows burrowed deeper than usual and a gentle flush dusted his cheeks. Lastly, he averted his eyes. Shouyou could not for the life of him figure out what brought this reaction - although, it could be that the Captain has learned modesty, or a sense of bashfulness at least. But a man doth not change his ways overnight, so it must be something else, but Shouyou was a little too cold to continue theorising. “Uh, Captain? I’m getting a little cold.” Shouyou said quietly, with a shivered edge to his voice.The Captain shook his head, before hurriedly popping the shirt on to Shouyou’s frame. The shirt engulfed Shouyou, just like the vest did, gaining another curt chuckle from the Captain. 

In those brief seconds, Shouyou could tell the Captain’s age. It was a light, airy laugh that was weighed down only by his voice's deepness. Years of damage had yet to be inflicted on his voice, yet it still remained reserved along with a part of his personality. A laugh was the purest form of expression to Shouyou. Although, the Captain may be a snarky bastard, it is an honour to witness one’s truest form of happiness. 

Perhaps it was all the soft touches, or the less gruff words coming from the Captain, but Shouyou felt a true smile develop within himself. One that needn't appear out of obligation or perseverance - it was one that rose from free will. “Captain, the pirates will believe me to be a fantom with these garments. At least the vest was sleeveless.” Shouyou chuckled along. He was starting to understand the Captain a bit and assumed that was what he had chuckled to himself about. 

“Hmm, I could buy something in your size, but you would get Koushi to punt me if the tailor gave me an infant-fee.” The Captain quipped with a jesting tone. Shouyou could get used to this type of banter. 

As the Captain tucked the shirt into the trousers Shouyou had been gifted yesterday, Shouyou threw a light-hearted response: “Or Captain, I would be paying a normal fee while the tailor is in fact charging you a higher fee. The colossus fee.”

A snort came out of the Captain as he finished dressing Shouyou up. The beautiful bandana that Shouyou was wearing yesterday had loosened overnight, so that was tightened once again with the same amount of care as last time. His hair was gently tucked in, and the Captain smoothened everything out with precision and care, but still with the familiar frown he wore.

Which was why the next event was incredibly surprising to Shouyou. 

Before Shouyou could even contemplate yelping, Shouyou was hauled up and over the Captain’s sturdy left shoulder. Shouyou’s first instinct was to kick, but that option was muted by the Captain trapping Shouyou’s knees with his left arm against his chest. The Captain’s other hand came to rest upon Shouyou’s lower back - for stability purposes. “Urchin, if ya struggle, ya’ll just make it worse for yerself.” The Captain said as emotionless as possible, which made Shouyou incredibly concerned. What had happened for this to occur?

Shouyou was too hang-over ridden to even fathom trying to wrestle his way out of the Captain’s strong grip, but it did not exclude him from shouting out expletives, especially when Shouyou saw that they were heading for the door. He did not need a whole bunch of pirates having the first impression of him looking like a freshly hunted deer. “Oi! You bastard! Put me down!” Shouyou yelled while his fists tried to plant themselves into the Captain’s muscular back. 

All of Shouyou’s efforts were ignored, as the door to the room creaked and a fresh zephyr of air hit Shouyou’s back. From the floor, he could tell that they were already in the lobby of the inn and fighting would be futile and appear childish. All Shouyou could do was wait until he was put down and hammer an explanation out of the confusing bastard. Why did this occur just as Shouyou thought he understood something?

Another door frame passed Shouyou by, this time an unfamiliar one. A louder bustle hit Shouyou’s ears as they entered the room. Tables of pirates and families were eating what looked to be a fry up of some sort, leading Shouyou to the conclusion that they were probably in the common room. Once that registered, a new wave of embarrassment and panic hit Shouyou - so many eyes were on him, and he was the one with his arse in the air. Shouyou could only hope that he would be seated soon.

Thankfully, his assertion was correct. Shouyou was maneuvered to slide off of the Captain’s shoulder onto a high seat at the bar. The Captain then calmly joined Shouyou onto the seat next to him, asif he hadn’t just hoisted Shouyou across an inn over his shoulder. Shouyou just stared at him with the wide eyes and complete perplexity plastered upon his face. 

The Captain just huffed to himself - a little self-satisfied Shouyou noticed. “That was only the start of me gettin’ back at ya for getting Koushi to clobber whenever I speak.” He explained with a complacent sneer. His eyebrows then furrowed a tad, and he mumbled: “ ‘n you didn’t seem to mind it when Koutarou did it.” 

Now Shouyou was completely lost - what was this bastard even thinking? Why was he bringing Koutarou into this? The Captain must still be intoxicated or something, because that didn’t make sense. Although, Shouyou did understand the first part, although he did not appreciate it, he should have expected something. Wait, did he say it was only the start? Shouyou truly underestimated the way of a true knave.

However, Shouyou was not going to give into these childish whims of the Captain - not without retaliating of course. “Poor Majesty,” Shouyou faux-empathised, “Can’t take a bit of discipline without having to rebel.” 

A smirk came to the Captain’s scowl-ridden face. “Still think ya can get me with that pet name, Urchin?” He scoffed with a lightness to his tone. His expression then welded back into a frown. “And no, I just don’t like being clobbered and lied to. That’s all.” He spat pointedly as he made direct eye-contact with Shouyou. 

It felt as if an anvil hit the pit of Shouyou’s stomach - he hadn’t expected the Captain to be so upfront about his suspicions. Although he knew the bastard lacked delicacy, this was still surprising. Stunningly surprising in all the most dreadful ways. Now that he’d vocalized his suspicions, what will he do to Shouyou? Interrogate him to find out the truth? How did pirates interrogate? Torture? Maybe they had some herbs they used to get one to speak the truth? Threaten with violence? Shouyou wouldn’t put it past the Captain to do so and it terrified Shouyou. However, the Captain was quite gentle toward Shouyou, so maybe it would not be something too severe. 

Theories and fears kept racing through Shouyou’s panic-ridden brain. The consequences of the Captain finding out about Cousin Keiji and Koutarou were so grand and alarming that Shouyou had no idea what to do. “Calm yerself urchin. I ain’t gonna push you for the truth, ya probably have your reasons.” He said with a grumble. Shouyou was quite astonished by the maturity of the sentiment. “Just for Poseidon’s sake, learn how ta control yer face. You looked like ya were gonna soil yerself.” He chastised. 

Suddenly a loud tap was heard coming from the Captain’s noggin - it was Koushi. “I’m not in the mood to gently deal with your shit, Tobio.” It was a different Koushi from what Shouyou was used to, he seemed quite rugged. He looked over at Shouyou with a sluggish pace. “Mornin’ Shouyou, hope he didn’t bully you too much while I was out.” He all but signed. Shouyou could tell there was an attempt at being his usual, high-spirited self.

“This must be hungover Koushi.” Shouyou observed to himself. A bit grouchy, none of the vibrancy, but still all of the care and cheek. That was something Shouyou could understand and deal with - unlike the Captain’s usual temperament. 

Koushi sat down on the stool next to Shouyou, which was the seat at the end of the long bar. Not long after he was seated, a bashful barmaid came to collect their order. She was a rather mousy woman who flustered easily, and along with her being blond, she really stood out in an island full of pirates. Her name was Hitoka and apparently the Captain and Koushi knew her well. 

As she walked off to the kitchen mumbling the orders to herself, Koushi decided to explain. “She’s a lovely lady, a tad on the over-imaginative side though. She has a fear of strangers and men, which is not a great combination with this line of work. She had to apologise to the Captain once for thinking he was a murderous thief. I would have thought so too.” The Captain huffed, clearly annoyed at the statement. “Tobio. You have to admit - you looked like a mangled death reaper after your first trip without Captain Tooru.” Another disgruntled grunt came from the Captain, before three plates were placed before the trio. Shouyou took note to ask about ‘Captain Tooru’ after they returned to the room.

“E-enjoy your meal!” Hitoka sputtered before running off to the main floor. The food did look quite appetizing; there was a fried egg on the plate, along with some colourful fruits Shouyou had never laid eyes on before; A small morsel of fowl of some sort, presumably poultry; a beautifully fried slice of bread; and a dollop of an unknown sauce. Shouyou truly didn’t know what to expect from an inn run by a pirate, but he was pleasantly stunned by the plate before him. They all dug in rather quickly, choosing to satisfy their hunger rather than savour the flavour - granted, Shouyou could still taste the food even if he did wolf it down like a starving predator. Being hungover and being hungry were a match made in heaven for Shouyou’s taste buds - the food hit the spot. Shouyou closed his eyes and let out a satisfied sigh. 

The Captain, who was stuffing down the egg, choked next to Shouyou. Shouyou immediately turned over and had his hand on the Captain’s back. It was a reflex from helping his younger sister out. “Are you alright Captain?” Shouyou asked, worry lacing his tone. 

Violent coughs continued to erupt out of the Captain’s chest before he cleared his throat. A final cough jumped out, then he pushed Shouyou away gently. “Thanks Urchin,” The Captain muttered, then he added: “Even though it was your fault,” in a more hushed tone. Confusion slapped Shouyou again, how was the Captain simply choking on his food Shouyou’s fault? Choosing to ignore that question, Shouyou continued eating. 

A few more minutes of fast eating passed before all their plates were empty and they were ready to go onto the next task of the day - reading a letter which was apparently the only reason Shouyou was allowed to stay with the Captain. Hitoka came and picked up the plates, then scurried off again, leaving Shouyou with no idea where to go next. The decision was removed though when the Captain stood once more with the same posture as earlier in his room, causing Shouyou to panic. “He’s going to carry me again, isn’t he?” He worried.

A smirk appeared on his face once more, verifying Shouyou’s fretting. Instead of staying still like a cornered mouse, Shouyou hopped off his chair and made a run for it. That may have made it worse as a thick arm hooked around his middle and hauled him up. Shouyou really needed to work on his athletic abilities. 

Resigned to his fate, Shouyou let himself be hung over the Captain’s shoulder as they walked away from the bar. After a few steps, he saw Koushi drinking a beer with an amused titter - why wasn’t Koushi coming to Shouyou’s aid? As Shouyou was carried off, he stared at Koushi with faux-wistfulness, attempting to draw pity out of the other man. All Shouyou got from his efforts was a hearty laugh and a silent “Sorry” that Koushi mouthed at him as he was dragged to the slaughterhouse. Fiendish, truly fiendish.

Once the Captain stepped out of the common room, Shouyou kept his eyes to the floor. His humiliation was already at a peak and actually witnessing the observing eyes trained on him would only worsen it. Shouyou was left wondering how often he would be carted around like this. Maybe - hopefully - it was a two-time ordeal, where the Captain just felt like being a wicked soul and mortifying poor Shouyou after calling Koushi to arms. That hope was crushed when he remembered what the Captain stated not a while ago. 

_“That was only the start of me gettin’ back at ya for getting Koushi to clobber whenever I speak.”_

Shouyou was truly doomed to a life of ignominy. 

Luckily for Shouyou, the _sadly_ familiar door frame of the Captain’s quarters had passed below him. After a few more hobbles, he was finally set down on the bed. He huffed and shook his head to get the blood flowing through his body again. Shouyou didn’t understand how flying foxes did it - all that hanging upside down. 

Shouyou sat with a silent glare at the Captain as the man simply sauntered over to another one of his messy shelves and pulled out a peculiar box. He opened it and took at a small bag with a key stored within. Lastly, he walked over to his messy navigation table that had the chest on it and unlocked it to pull out a neatly folded letter. The unnecessary steps the Captain took must have meant it was important to him, which is why Shouyou was once again perplexed by the level of trust he was awarding Shouyou.

“Oi Urchin, catch!” That was all the warning Shouyou was given before the closely guarded letter was chucked at him. He caught it just in the nick of time, before it landed on the ground. Shouyou looked at the Captain confused. Why did he lock it up if he did not care for its state? “The letter has important information in it - doesn’t mean I won’t chuck it about. That bastard purposefully wrote it in his weird swirly writing so that no one but rich twats could read it. Absolute pain in the arse.” was the annoyed grumble of an explanation Shouyou received. It made sense, seeing how the Captain acts. 

It definitely made Shouyou curious what was written in the letter.

In a fit of nosiness, Shouyou methodically unfolded the parchment. What struck him first was the neatness of the calligraphy. The grand swirls, of which the letters were composed, were truly breathtaking. Next he saw an odd replication of a face reproduced on the bottom of the page, it appeared to be a rounded head with a tongue sticking out, but Shouyou could not be too sure. It was done in such an unrealistic fashion that he was unsure that was the objective of the scribble. The author of this paper was precisely as the Captain described - a zealous man. 

“Ginger quit gawking at it and read it out.” The Captain impatiently huffed. 

As easy as just ‘reading it out’ would be, Shouyou wasn’t sure if maybe the Captain might want it to be read out line for line, since it appeared to be a poem of some sort. Even if it was not such, analysis would probably be beneficial if the Captain suspected it to be an important letter. “Or maybe it was a love letter,” mumbled to himself.

“Repeat that Shrimp?” The Captain asked from the otherside of the room. Hopefully he hadn’t heard what Shouyou said to himself. 

“Uh, I said: should I read it line for line Captain?” A small fib that hopefully did the trick.

The Captain kept a trained eye on Shouyou. It analyzed Shouyou to the point that Shouyou was suspecting he was planting a hex. Then unconvinced he muttered: “Aye, why not. But don’t think I didn’t notice your lie.” 

A shiver of fear ran down Shouyou’s spine - how did he know every time Shouyou fibbed? Perhaps he was the descendant of a druid that dealt with crows. That would explain his abilities and raptor-like quality. Although, now that Shouyou let that sink in for a second, that did sound preposterous. Maybe Shouyou should just accept he was a horrible liar.

“Oi, get on with it.” The Captain said, miffed. 

“Aye Aye, your Majesty,” Shouyou replied in a picayune attempt at a quip. He breathed in and read the first two lines.“My dearest little Tobio, Hope this letter finds you well, worst in need.” There was not much to inspect, so he continued. “By now you are successful and don’t need my deed.” A deed? 

“I knew that bastard would pull something like this.” The Captain sounded exasperated. Whoever wrote him this letter must have been impressive. How else would one make the Captain so wound up? Except for fooling around on his boat - that also does the trick. “proceed.” 

“But in the solemn chance that you do,-” Shouyou noted that it was written in end rhyming couplets and continued reading the next line. “This letter is here to guide - a clue.” Shouyou finished. This letter must be a map, or a description of some sorts. Interesting “Would you like me to continue, Captain?” Shouyou asked and received a nod as a go-ahead. “My travels have brought me far and wide, Let me see life through the other side.” Shouyou had no clue what that could possibly allude to and was hoping the Captain understood. 

An empty laugh rumbled out of the Captain's throat. “Hmm, seems he decided ‘to fraternise with the enemy’ as you put it.” The disdain in his voice was all too evident. “Continue.” He ordered.

“If you wonder where to I have been, look no further, we are akin.” This fellow’s writing style was incredibly cryptic. It was becoming tedious. Shouyou looked at the Captain once more and saw a deep, contemplative frown marring his expression. “Do you have an idea what this might mean?”

The Captain took a few more seconds to mull over his answer. “I- I think I might know what he’s getting at, and I hope to anything savoury that it’s not what I think it is.” He replied sternly. 

Shouyou had not seen the Captain so tense. Hopefully, whatever the Captain is dreadidly theorising is not the solution. “Turn the corner, ocean is wide; Inquire allied foe, on isle of both side.” This one Shouyou understood. It was the trading island the Captain had previously mentioned. At least that’s what he thought. He snuck a glance at the Captain, who was now looking at Shouyou attentively. Shouyou took this as a sign to resume. “There you’ll find tidings of low, Stories of my terror and fearful woe.” The Captain nodded, taking in the information. “Pieces will sew together like a great piece of tapestry, the whims and squanders of my immorality.” Shouyou was now completely lost and decided to just finish reading it out. “Great tidings will be brought, When you stumble on what you sought. To my dearest brother and kin, Lots of adoration from within. Captain Tooru.” That’s who that Captain Tooru fellow was.

Both people fell silent - the ambiguous phrasing was off putting to say the least, Shouyou found. It just appeared to be skirted words, thrown together to create a fraudulent sense of mystery. Whomever wrote it was not zealous but whimsical. How dare this ‘Captain Tooru’ throw such words at the Captain and expect the poor bastard to comprehend what it even means. 

The more Shouyou thought about it, the more splenetic Shouyou felt. It was not fair to Shouyou, even if he did not always have the highest opinion of the Captain, he still deserved respect, which this poor excuse of a letter did not provide. How did ‘squanders of my immorality’ have any correlation with a deed? How did half of these nonsensical string of words result in anything remotely constructive?

“Shrimp, do you need some Choleric let?” The Captain asked with a twinge of whit. Shouyou did not realise how irked he appeared, was his expression that obvious? “Don’t worry yerself over the words. I know what that bastard wants me to do.” He said between clenched teeth. 

The writer must have purposely hid the deed somewhere that the Captain evidently did not wish to go, and if the small comment Koushi made and the rum amount of intimacy of the greeting were to go by, the Captain and this other captain appeared to be close. Which to Shouyou made this a lot worse. If they were so friendly, why would one spite whomever they were trying to help? It was probably some pirate thing that Shouyou could not understand. He hoped it was such, because otherwise it was just plain cruelty. 

“He- If I’m readin’ into this right, he wants us to go to that cursed tradin’ island. There’s a bar there where a man who came from a great line of pirates helped me develop some of my skills.” He furrows his brow again. “That line ‘look no further, we are akin’, it bothers me. I have a hunch, but, we will look into it once we get there.” Shouyou nodded and took note of the Captain’s incredible memorisation skills. He truly was a man of many surprises. “I’ll tell Koushi about this so we can start gathering a crew. Uh-” The Captain hesitated, then looked at the floor by Shouyou’s feet. “Thank you Shrimp.” He said softly.

A wide smile grew on Shouyou’s face, as a peculiar sensation arose in his stomach. “No problem Captain. Although, needn’t I remind you that I would be dead if I did not agree.” I jokingly shot back.

A pleasant huff puffed out of the Captain’s mouth. “Whatever you say Urchin.” He said through the smallest grin Shouyou had seen, yet it was so powerful to Shouyou. The Captain’s teetering glimpses of kind emotion were like nectar for a hummingbird - one needed just a drop to survive a lifetime. Shouyou had no complaints to the influence it bore on him.

Oh, how a scowling man’s smile affected a man’s withering soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the full letter with no pauses or other words:
> 
> My dearest little Tobio, 
> 
> Hope this letter finds you well, worst in need.  
> By now you are successful and don’t need my deed.
> 
> But in the solemn chance that you do,  
> This letter is here to guide - a clue.
> 
> My travels have brought me far and wide  
> Let me see life through the other side
> 
> If you wonder where to I have been  
> Look no further, we are akin.
> 
> Turn the corner, ocean is wide  
> Inquire allied foe, on isle of both side
> 
> There you’ll find tidings of low  
> Stories of my terror and fearful woe
> 
> Pieces will sew together like a great piece of tapestry  
> The whims and squanders of my immorality 
> 
> Great tidings will be brought  
> When you stumble on what you sought
> 
> To my dearest brother and kin  
> Lots of adoration from within
> 
> Signed : Captain Tooru  
> (I'm sorry, I was lazy and just did a bunch of end rhymes...)
> 
> Damn Captain Tobio really be out here... being homiesexual... I jest... Although- 
> 
> Anyway... midway through writing this Chapter I had a wave of inspiration hit me for the end of this fic... Look forward to that HUHUHU I HAVE ANGST PLANNED AND A PLOT! MUHAHAHAHA. I have so much POWER.  
> Ps: I'm still deciding on whether I let this story vibe and finish , then write a separate smut fic so peeps don't accidentally bump into it OR tack it on at the end as an epilogue type thing. Let me know! 
> 
> Also, Oikawa's letter took a while to write... so much pain, because I had to write stuff that was kinda ambiguous, but kinda had a direction. U G H, that's not my strong suit...


	6. The Discrepancy of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go incredibly amiss when Koushi talks to Daichi about Captain Tobio's plan to venture to the trading island.
> 
> Warning: Shouyou has a Panic Attack due to ptsd and past trauma. Also negative self-talk about said issue and mentions of said abuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: I have had panic attacks before but not due to trauma from abuse so my depiction will not be 100% accurate. I wanted to include this because Shouyou went through a lot of shit and something as "simple" as an argument can trigger people and it fully would have triggered Shouyou. Since in the past people had no idea that mental illness was even a thing, all the characters will not understand how to handle it properly, but they try their best.  
> Hopefully it is not romanticising in any way. I am trying to avoid using Shouyou's ptsd as bonding tool between him and Tobio because that doesn't build healthy relationships (co-dependancy and all that...), but I do feel like how someone treats you during or after such a situation can make or break a relationship (something along those lines.. I'm horrible at explaining myself, pardon) However, do call me out if it comes off like that!
> 
> Also... sorry for posting this on Valentines... I made the end moderately fluffy... 
> 
> Happy Valentine's folks! Hope you had a great day with your SO or your homies! 
> 
> Thanks for the continued support! <3 even when I didn't post for a month! Love y'all!  
> Heads up... this chapter is messy in writing and the overall story... Sorry Suga... Sorry Shouyou...
> 
> Why it took me a while to update: I took a gap year and I was going through the whole uni application process which was... stressful to say the least aha~  
> Also: I draw a cover! It's really basic but I thought it would be fun to draw Shouyou with the Bastard Captain™ 's hat on, teehee :3  
> So you can see it in the overall fic notes orrrr view it on [Tumblr](https://buzzbeebee.tumblr.com/post/642413079666262016/show-chapter-archive) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/heathenbeebee/status/1358188445529739264?s=20)
> 
> Note: There's no beta so all this suckiness is on me... I shalt grovel at thine knees 😳

Bottles soared through the air like a gannet diving for its next meal- crashing headfirst into the sea of emotion thrashing around them as it fishes out any sense of purpose of the situation. Words flew and insults thrown- a tumultuous din of boiling private, intimate colloquy. The silent hearts thumping on people’s sleeves, so silent yet Shouyou can almost feel them in his soul. The horrifying tension and pain so nostalgically palpable, Shouyou could almost taste it.

Tears were streaming down Koushi’s devastated face as he wailed in sorrow to the burly man across the room. The man, captain Daichi, reacted in kind - roaring his lungs out with any expliative that was unbeknownst to Shouyou’s ears. Daichi was everything you expected from a pirate; a commanding presence; dark, untamed hair; large and bulky with a large scar across his left eye, but none of that compared to Koushi’s piercing inconsolable fury. Kouchi’s hair had come undone, letting the loose ends of a rather short ponytail frame his face - his eyes blown wide as if the devil were behind it all. Shouyou shook where he stood.

“Daichi, don’t you DARE talk to me about camaraderie! You _lost_ that privilege when I found out you were with _her_.” Kouchi bellowed at the top of his lungs. By this point he had become completely red faced out of pure rage. He was shaking and tears were threatening to leave his widened eyes.

In response, captain Daichi’s face melted into that of heated confusion, his brow deeply furrowed deeply and his mouth curled into a frown. He stared at Koushi for a moment with his mouth agape, appearing to flutter with unspoken words. A resigned sigh escaped him as if the words decided to hide themselves. “That- that’s not what this is about.” He said in a strict, commanding tone. “Koushi, I haven’t seen you in months and after you finally return, you brought a queen-lover-” Shouyou flinched at the detached mention of him. The manner in which Daichi was acting was almost completely contrary to how Koushi described him and it made Shouyou confused. “and want to go to that cursed island. You could die out there, Koushi! And all this because Tobio said so I-”

Koushi twitched as a new wave of anger rushed over him. “That’s not what this is about” Koushi mocks. “Well then Mister Former-Captain, why are YOU dragging Tobio into this! We both know full well that Shouyou and Tobio have NOTHING to do with this argument as well. So give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just take your ship, go to that damned island and NEVER come back? Hmmm?”

“I am just concerned for you Koushi! Why must you twist my words?” captain Daichi exasperatedly sighed. He rubbed his forehead in a pensive manner, as if he were trying to calm himself.

A bitter chuckle came from Koushi’s lips. “Oh _now_ you don’t want your words twisted? Typical, typical, typical Daichi. Always trying to be the maturest Captain there is. He knows all and understands all. Oh benevolent Daichi, do inform me what you actually meant.” Koushi spat mockingly as he bowed down into a curtsy. 

All that captain Daichi could respond with was a low growl, as if he were an animal whose pride was threatened, while Koushi simply rolled his eyes as a constricting silence flooded the room. Shouyou, who was behind Koushi on the opposite side of the room, closely beside the Captain, could feel the pain in the room. As the spat grew louder and louder, the Captain slowly brought Shouyou closer to him, which Shouyou didn’t mind. He needed anything to separate himself from the situation, even if it was the mere presence of the bastard Captain - he needed it. 

This had grown out of hand the second it started.

Shouyou didn’t understand how it got to this - after all they were just there to inform captain Daichi about their next voyage, and to maybe get permission - Shouyou wasn’t sure how it all worked. But something just happened. A something that decided to pitt these two fellows against each other like cat and hound. 

Someone was to blame, Shouyou was sure of it. Perhaps it was Koushi and his difficult, no, _fragile_ situation with captain Daichi. Maybe it was the hangover everyone had suffered which caused the devil to come out to play. No, Shouyou knew who, more so what to blame: the letter from that Captain Tooru fellow.

Not enough was known about “Captain Tooru” for Shouyou to make grander assumptions but from how the letter was written, more importantly the Captain reaction, it was an area that caused a lot of people grievances. Even if Shouyou didn’t like the bastard, he still could see that the letter affected him. Seeing the Captain in such a state because of one letter really made Shouyou’s blood almost boil. Alright, maybe Shouyou did inculpate that “Captain Tooru”, by what Shouyou could tell from the letter, _that man_ relished in stirring trouble. Along with seeing all the chaos that was caused due to that man's disturbances, Shouyou became more and more convinced that perhaps it was his fault. It was _his_ fault Shouyou decided.

All this started with the words of that zealous man, who got caught in his own zealous, cryptic ways. He dragged the Captain down with him, making him chase behind him like a lost frightened child. So the Captain started the chase the only way he knew how. 

_I’ll tell Koushi about this so we can start gathering a crew_

A simple task is all they were set out to do. How did it turn into such disorder? Deep down Shouyou had answered this question for himself already. But honestly, what would one have expected to happen between a hung-over scorned man and the unrequited adoration of said man. Maybe the Captain was a little to blame, but Shouyou wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t understand how these situations worked. No matter how calm one feels at the beginning, pain will always be victorious. That’s what happened here - a pained man was forced to confront his pain too early. 

As the lull of the argument settled, both Koushi and captain Daichi looked down in opposite ways, both mulling over their grievances. Koushi trembled with fists clenched, staring at a spot on the carpet of captain Daichi’s living room. After a moment, the anger that had been raging in Koushi’s eyes was replaced by a wistful hush, one that Shouyou recognised from Koushi’s conversations about captain Daichi. A brief choked inhale quietly jumbled out of Koushi’s clenched jaw. 

“Koushi, y-” Captain Daich looked up with the sincerest rueful expression Shouyou had seen. He held his tongue, stewing over the formulation of his next sentiment. “I- I don’t know what went wrong, but I still care about you. Which is why I err on the side of caution and going to one of the most dangerous places just to follow the words of a man like Tooru worries me.” He sighed in resignation. “But I cannot stop you, if that is what you wish, since you’re the most passive aggressive stubborn bastard I’ve met.” 

To that Kouchi let out a chuckle, “You’re the stubborn bastard out of us too,” He jests, “you’re as dense as a brick too.” They both let out a restrained titter, one laced with an unspoken nostalgia. “We are going on the voyage no matter the circumstances, but thank you for your concern… Dai, just take care of that kid properly, alright?” 

A bittersweet smile spread across captain Daichi’s face as they both met in the middle of the room, hands stretched out. A firm handshake and a final nod was exchanged before Koushi started to leave the room, herding Shouyou and the Captain to exit with him. 

As Shouyou strode through the door, he took one last glance at captain Daichi. All Shouyou was met by was a solemn man staring with great melancholy as Koushi walked out the door. Perhaps captain Daichi hadn’t wished for it to end this way. That same regretful face Shouyou saw Koushi wear, he now saw on captain Daichi. If captain Daichi didn’t have a child, Shouyou would have almost thought the man felt the same way Koushi did for him. Such was the passion leaking out of captain Daichi’s dark, focussed eyes. Perhaps the former-captain did indeed have identical feelings to Koushi and his situation was his way to cope, which is why he so often held back in this exchange. 

People who do not talk to one another confuse Shouyou. It was not his business, nor his speciality to talk about so Shouyou continued to walk on. 

The door of captain Daichi’s living room connected to the street, which Shouyou found odd, but it was more expedient for their situation. Once he was out, he could finally breathe - no longer smothered by the stagnant air of tension. Shouyou took a deep inhale, clearing his lungs. A deep trembling started to awaken inside of Shouyou, he didn’t know why. His mind was racing and heart was thumping. “That was intense.” He thought.

“Ah well… It could have been worse.” Koushi chirped, which made Shouyou’s head jolt to Koushi in shock. How could he possibly have thought it could have been worse? There was so much yelling! Shouyou soon recognised that his quick action was a mistake - it was sunset and Koushi stood right in front of the shimmering horizon. Koushi chuckled when he saw Shouyou’s cringing, an overreaction to the intense sun beams attacking his eyes. “We were in there for a while, huh? Let’s go to the pub.” Koushi said a tad too nonchalantly for Shouyou’s tastes. He was still confused how Koushi was so calm about that interaction. The ending was calm Shouyou could admit that but everything else was so incredibly intense, how could Koushi just set that all aside?

The Captain simply nodded to Koushi’s request - he too was too calm about the happenings in that building. Shouyou stood perplexed as the other two had commenced proceeding to their intended location. He hadn’t at all processed the whole situation properly and these two were quieter, no _calmer_ , than usual. In addition to this confusion, the loud crashes and yells started to replay themselves in Shouyou’s head. Memories suddenly flooding his brain as it struggled to climb back to its norm. The more Shouyou tried to block it out, the louder it got. Louder and louder, more and more. Clattering and screaming. The shaking overtook him. 

Why was everything so _loud_? Shouyou tried to step forward but he felt frozen into place. The feeling was painfully familiar to Shouyou. His mind was becoming cloudy. A sudden need to pinch his eyes closed. Everything was dark and loud. That’s because he closed his eyes, or did he? Maybe he was back there… Impossible - he had been a good boy, he didn’t make a sound. He was quiet, he was good. Why are things still crashing? So many words. Loud crashing words. They weren’t at him, because he was a good boy. A good quiet boy, who just stood still and listened.

The yelling. More and more. Big loud words keep coming. They make Shouyou feel like he’s drowning. They keep getting louder, shouting over his thoughts. Over him, even if he didn’t listen. Why didn’t blocking his ears work? The crashing, it still resounded around Shouyou. Even if he had stood still, they were still screaming. Throwing bottles. 

So many words. Harsh words that Shouyou deserved, because Shouyou knew he was bad. He could never be good, because he was complaining about the sounds. Too loud, too many crashes. _SILENCE YOU MUTT._ He could be good if he was quiet, but lately he hasn’t been. He talks too much. Too much for a mutt like him. But he promised he was a good child for father. He tried. But the glass kept crashing. _Crash, crash, CRASH_. 

A big shape was now in front of him, grabbing him and trying to pull him. But he had tried to be good. Why is he grabbing him? Let go, let go, LET GO! No, not again. He knows how to be a good boy. He knows, so please let him go. Don’t take him there again. 

“-you, SHOUYOU!” Someone was yelling, shaking him. They weren’t happy with him, but Shouyou didn’t want to go. No, no, no. That same shadow grabbed him again, lifting him by the waist, trying to take him. Hadn’t he been good? No, he knew he hadn’t been good. But he didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to be in the basement again. Trapped and alone. It smelled bad down there. So bad. 

No longer could the ground be felt under Shouyou’s feet. He had lost, but words kept coming. The words, the crashes. Don’t take him, don’t take him down there. Let go, let go, let go.

“Everything is well Shouyou, calm down.” Why? Why must he calm down, he didn’t want to go down there again. Not again. He had been there too many times for too long. He promises to be good, he swears. He’ll pray at the altar for hours again. He will lash himself if he must but don’t take him. One, ten, fifty, just not there again. 

Not again. Not again… Please father, not again. 

Shouyou felt heavy. His eyes felt as if an anvil laid to rest on them. Limbs felt like lead and his head was thumping. He felt like he had just been slugged. A deep whirl of pain and sluggishness drifted over his woosy mind. He still hadn’t registered that he was conscious, or perhaps he wasn’t. He didn’t feel like he existed, he was just being dragged down to wherever his type resided.

Suddenly Shouyou felt a touch. A wave of curdling nausea hit him like a tidal wave, no one should touch him. No one.

A loud slap struck through the room as Shouyou swiftly shot himself up and belted the hand that dared to touch him. When he finally opened his eyes, shock struck him. The Captain sat on a stool by his bedside, clasping his hand in wide-eyed surprise. What had happened? How was he in the Captain’s quarters? Why-

“Apologies Shouyou, I di- “ The Captain furrowed his brow as he usually did while contemplating. Shouyou absorbed this familiarity with open arms. He needed something usual, something warm. “Y- How are you feeling, Koushi and I were worried.” The Captain finally settled on. 

“Go-ugh” Shouyou wanted to reply but he could not. His voice was drier than a drought and it felt so awfully raw. Almost as if he had screamed for hours. This perplexed Shouyou, what is going on? 

The Captain looked at Shouyou with a look that could only be read as concern, as he frowned again. His hand wavering, not wanting to overstep a boundary yet still wanting to comfort. “Urch- Shouyou, I… May I?” He asked, gesturing to his hand. Shouyou simply nodded as he contemplated why the Captain wasn’t calling him urchin. 

The hand slowly and methodically moved to Shouyou’s hand - clearly indicating where it was planning to go. The intent behind the action so clear. Shouyou appreciated it. It was almost as if he too understood, or maybe he was just cautious. Either way, Shouyou cherished it. 

A flinch shivered across his body at first contact, but Shouyou ignored it. The warmth and assurance of another person overwhelmed it. It started off as a gentle stroking across the top of Shouyou’s hand, softly drawing soothing circles across his skin, then slowly melted into a loose handhold. It grounded Shouyou, creating a sense of calm he needed in that moment. Even if he didn’t understand his situation, the Captain being there aided him. There was no pushing, he was just there.

They sat there for a while, Shouyou didn’t know how long, but it didn’t really matter. He felt safe and comforted by this strange man. That blunt, rude, gentle bastard. That bastard that Shouyou may even _almost_ consider a friend. A rough, awkward fellow, but an _almost_ friend he was. Shouyou was also surprised that the Captain kept up his ministrations, even after all that time. He must have a lot of stamina.

Shouyou’s throat slowly grew less and less swollen as time went on. This was mainly due to the calming state his mind slowly settled into, but as well, the Captain kept feeding him a steady stream of water, along with occasional drops of honey. It reminded Shouyou of when his mother took care of him when he was sick once in his youth. What a comforting thought that was. It brought him back, back to when he could only remember small snippets of happiness. The little jovial rays of hope he would feel, but he cannot pin-point when such a time was. It had been so long. 

The room was mostly silent, except for the gentle hum of outsiders walking through the inn and the gentle steady breath of the Captain. Shouyou couldn’t quite wrap his head around why the Captain was treating him so - the change in name was the most obvious change. Usually the Captain would be tender to him before playing a devious trick on him, be that a verbal or physical one - but none came. He just sat by Shouyou’s side tending to him with that usual frowned yet caring expression of his. 

As time went on, Shouyou’s previous thoughts resurfaced: how did he get here? All he could remember was the loud squabble between Koushi and captain Daichi, then… fear. The deep, unsettled fear he felt. The stomach churning nostalgic tangles of dread taking over his mind, then darkness. Had he blacked-out? He wasn’t sure. 

“Shouyou.” Shouyou turned his head to the Captain who gazed at him with a concerned frown. Shouyou could not get used to the Captain saying his name. “Y- Do ya wanna talk about what happened?” The Captain asked in a very controlled yet soft tone. 

Shouyou wanted to reply and explain but he didn’t know or remember. What had happened? “Uh, I don’t r-remember.” Shouyou muttered out, embarrassed that he just didn’t know. There was a hole in his thoughts, one he just didn’t understand. It scared him that he didn’t know. Shouyou could feel his breaths quicking, the deep trembling returning to his body. What had happened?

A sudden embrace surrounded his body. The warmth around him settled him down, filling the cold gap that had formed in Shouyou’s mind. The Captain’s heart thumping proudly to remind Shouyou that he was present. “You’re alright Shouyou, y’er alright.” The Captain soothed as he gently patted Shouyou’s back with his singular hand, while his other hand remained in a loose hand hold. Shouyou took deep breaths, relishing in the comfort. When the Captain spoke again, Shouyou noticed the funny rumble he could feel through their contact. “Ya gave us a bit of a scare back there.” He chuckled quietly as he continued to rub Shouyou’s back. “You- I’m not sure what happened but you froze in yer boots, mumblin’ to yourself. Koushi tried to pull ya along ‘cause we were confused, but you started screamin’ about not wanting to go back. He let you go but I decided to lift you up and take you back to the inn, even if you were kickin’ and screaming… We- It was- I was scared…” Shouyou felt the Captain hug him a little tighter at that. 

A dreaded sense of familiarity caught Shouyou off guard. The Captain’s story was making sense as his brain supplied him bits and pieces of what had happened. Had he screamed all of that out loud? He must have sounded mad. A mad man that deserved to be in an Asylum. The Captain mu- “Shouyou, look at me.” The Captain said with a commanding tone as he pulled himself back a little. Shouyou looked into the Captain’s striking slate-blue eyes. “I nor Koushi think you are a lunatic. You may be a little soft in the head, but not a lunatic. You understand?” 

All Shouyou could do was nod in reply as a smidge of that mindset chipped away. Shouyou felt himself smile, just a little, but he felt a twinge of relief, enough to smile. “T-thank you Captain.” He whispered as he leaned forward into the Captain’s chest. He wanted to feel the Captain’s steady heartbeat again. The God-gifted sign that one was alive. 

“No problem, Shouyou.” The Captain mumbled against the peak of Shouyou’s head. It was an odd sensation, feeling the breath of another person on the crown of one’s head, but it was comforting. All of those actions had made Shouyou trust the Captain more - trust that he would not judge and would not abandon him. That the Captain would stay even if Shouyou wasn’t the strong man his father wanted him to be. The Captain understood Shouyou, and understood him enough to want to stay - to help. 

Then the question popped back into his head. “Uh, Captain… Not that I mind or anything but- uh why are you calling me by my name? You have been awfully content with calling me urchin until now.” He asked curiously, lifting his head to meet the Captain’s gaze.

A deep glower raked over his expression, one of pensiveness, but also the expression of worriment. His eyes focussed not on Shouyou’s eyes, but more distantly staring down into a place of memory. His fingers at Shouyou’s hand started fiddling with Shouyou’s fingers, a rapt gesture of sorts. “When you were in yer… _state_ … You mumbled somethin’ about being a “bad boy” and a “mutt”, and I- my father when I was a wee’yin would tell me things in the same vein and I thought, well, you don’t deserve that from me too.” He softly mumbled, a hint of uncertainty mixed in. 

Shouyou’s heart thumped. Such an inconsiderate man would do that for him? Such a kind, considerate gesture just for Shouyou. How this man shocked Shouyou to his core. A shock that went straight to his tears as he felt a warm trail slide down his cheek. Shouyou swallowed and snorted to lessen the slim streams, but it appeared to worsen his conundrum. The Captain on the other hand became incredibly worried, a look of “what have I done?” shot onto his usually frowning visage. This deeply amused Shouyou, causing a botched half-snort to erupt out of his chest as he fought the tears. Laughter and crying were truly a match made in hell Shouyou decided. “Needn’t worry Captain. I am just so honoured by your consideration for poor old me’s circumstances. You are a tearfully endearing man, Captain.” Shouyou giggled, nay snorted. He chuckled some more until he had realised what he had said. 

_You are a tearfully endearing man, Captain._ Had he really just said that? Oh Lord above, hopefully the Captain hadn’t heard him speak _that_ well of him. A quick glance at the bastard Captain’s smirk was all he needed to affirm his dreads.

“Oho, _tearfully_ endearing, eh?” The Captain teased. What had Shouyou done? Well, it appears he had stroked the ego of an inflated bastard. “I am flattered my _dearest_ Shouyou.” He teased in such a wicked way. Shouyou knew that he would go back to his old ways in no time. _Dearest Shouyou_ , what a joke! The Captain chuckled, as he broke all bodily contact and sat back on his stool. “As funny as it is to wind ya up, we do need to fetch some breakfast.” He simply stated. 

Said statement was way too simple for Shouyou. “ _Breakfast_?? What is the time?” Shouyou blurted out, thoroughly confused. There was no possible way he had been out of sorts for that long. Could there?

The Captain simply snorted and answered: “It’s gone day-break so the breakfast is being served. Ye were out for the whole night. Had te keep an eye on you.” Well, now Shouyou felt even more odd. How had he slept for so long? From evening to morn? How was that even possible? “But since ya still seem to be out of sorts, I’ll _have_ to carry ye back to the bar.” He said with a jesting, yet devious smirk. 

Shouyou decided to respond in kind, since he knew the Captain would continue his foolish games - why not play along. “Alright,” Shouyou said confidently, grabbing the Captain’s attention. “However, you must carry me as one would carry a gentlewoman. Sweep me off my feet, your Majesty.” Shouyou announced with the straightest face he could muster. T’was hard to say such ridiculous statements with the face of a dialectician. 

A moment of triumphant silence fell over the room. Shouyou had managed to silence the jester. “What a victory.” Shouyou thought, right before he was swept up from his bed. The bewilderment caught ablaze like an oil pool as he was lifted into the Captain’s arms. Of course Shouyou had to prematurely celebrate just to have the wind knocked out of his sails and now look how it turned out. He was now caught in the clutches of a cocky bastard again being hefted toward a room full of other people. Again.

Will he ever escape the clutches of this devilishly beguiling man?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully committed character assassination ... sorry... and this isn't the end of Koushi's pain... foreshadowing~ (it's Not Rated and Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings for a reason)
> 
> Also I needed to use the word dialectician at least once 'cause I was forced to read Nietzsche and he used that word WAY too much...


End file.
